Hillsong Church - The Generations, It's We Not Me

[Music] good morning everybody we're gonna praise God together in this place [Music] together salvation it sounds a new beginning I stay still hearts begin believing [Music] victims it is unrelenting you love those [Music] goes on [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the time is of the chain to shadow [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] through the veil of Darkness breaking every chain [Music] breaking every chain by [Music] we had [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] for you [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] No [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] you might [Music] everyone [Music] [Music] but we stand here this morning in the house we simply want to say thank [Music] well thank you for your word that will never fail us thank you you've been incredibly kind your grace that you give it to every single one of us our response this morning is to say thing so it's grateful hearts logo is standing in presence they think [Music] you've been so good to me [Music] if so good [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] heroes that blaze [Music] my see [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh come on Shh can we take a moment to these oh Jesus understand can we clap ahead [Applause] [Music] now we're going to continue in this atmosphere of worship this morning Church and we're gonna partake in communion together so if you would would you take your seats the hosts are going to come and they're going to share the emblems with us in a moment that we stay in this atmosphere as we continue to appreciate and remember Jesus everything is to us everything he has done for us the team has a beautiful moment for us together so let's pass those emblems and continue this atmosphere of worship the passion of our Savior now before [Music] no babies as he come to play [Music] the innocent or skin [Music] the guilty one [Music] ow we the guilty ones [Music] [Music] to [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] I gave my heart to all of this loved by the Lamb who was slain [Music] [Applause] [Music] for Slean [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] hopefully been able to pass those emblems to everyone here but can I share a passage of Scripture with you in 1 Corinthians pops-up now pray that this moment wouldn't be about a moment of religious obligation but rather an opportunity for us to remember Jesus we're not doing this because we have to we're doing this because we're desperate to remember the sacrifice of Jesus and the fact that he's completely transformed our lives in 1 Corinthians 11:23 says let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord's Supper and why it is so centrally important I received my instructions from the master himself and passed them on to you the master Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread having given thanks he broke it and said this is my body broken for you do this and remember me after supper he did the same with the cup this is my blood my new covenant to you each time you drink this cup remember me church what this represents is the broken body and the spilt blood of Jesus that has transformed our lives our church is what it is the Church of Jesus Christ is what it is not because of great leadership because of the grace of a savior who gives us permission to have a relationship with him in the first place and what we're doing this morning is simply slowing down quieting our spirit and remembering that we are only here because of Jesus that there was nothing that we could do in our own strength to bridge that gap that there was no amount of good deeds or nice words that could get us back to Jesus but this morning we will remember that it was his sacrifice it was his spilt blood and it was his broken body that gives us the privilege of being his presence today so church would you take the bread and would you take the cup and can we remember Jesus in his sacrifice this morning [Music] thank you Jesus Church would you take a moment would you think Jesus in your own words would you have your own personal moment with Jesus this morning to appreciate him for his sacrifice to appreciate him for everything that he's done for you for the fact that we are in this place because of what Jesus has done for us that we are here because of his sacrifice because of his love because of His grace Jesus we are so thankful and we don't take for granted what you've done for us today Lord God so as we continue to worship God we lean into you believing you are here believing your present and appreciative of the sacrifice they of main force come on church let's sing this one more time together [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Church we're gonna take a moment like we're doing each one of our services we're gonna pray for our family that is really believing for God to move the church can I challenge you my wife and I have been on the other end of these prayer requests for a couple of months we're leaving to see breakthrough and one of our family members lives we're leaving to see God he'll honor our family members and can I say knowing that there is a church believing and standing and praying with you it changes everything aside from the spiritual sight the peace the comfort though these people receive knowing that there is a church standing with them believing with them praying that God is going to intervene in those situations it changes the way that you wake up every morning and so church would you stretch out your hand would you raise your voice and would you believe for God to move we're believing for healing in terminal situations we're believing for jobs to turn around we're believing for families to be restored for salvation in people's lives come on church lift your voice we praise you Jesus God we thank you that no matter what we face God you're in control the matters what is going on in our lives no matter how dire the situation may seem God that you are completely in control God and so we pray that you would do what only you can to bring turn around to bring job opportunities to reach salvation Lord God but we pray for those God's battling cancer the elements Lord God for your healing hand God to prove its strength God that you would continue to move God in people's lives and most of all God no matter the situation god we choose to trust you we choose to trust that you're in control we choose to believe in your timing and your plan in every one of these situations and everybody said I'll come on everybody said Amen well welcome to church 9:00 a.m. on a rainy Sunday morning thank you so much for being here a little bit of winter weather on a November morning we're gonna take a moment I want you to meet someone but this is your challenge everyone in the room don't sit down straight away I need you to meet someone who is not in your row that's the challenge for the heart ever went oh my goodness I don't know if I can do that we're gonna put a minute on the clock and I want you to meet someone who's not in your road go for it most people still talking did you meet someone who wasn't in your road church did you like the person you met that wasn't in your row well that's fine there's no obligation to talk to them from this point on you guys can take your seats the overtly friendly people down the front surgical goreck always just praying for people pastoring people I missed you search I feel like I haven't seen you in so long my friend I haven't been here Serge we know you've been here made hey we're going to continue in our worship this morning with our tires and our offerings I'm gonna invite our campus pastor mrs. Kiley tomorrow to come up and share around so give it up for Kylee thanks Paul welcome to church this morning how good is it to be in the house on a wet beautiful day outside rain is good look if you're new or visiting please don't feel under any pressure to participate in this part of our service but for those of you who'd like to contribute if you'd like to start preparing now the different options are on the screen behind me when people find out that I come to Hillsong Church there are two main questions I find I'm asked the first is do I give financially do I give my money to the church and the second thing is do you have to give money to the church when you go to Hillsong Church so this morning I thought I'd talk on tithe what is tithe so I went to the source that we all go to Wikipedia and here is what wikipedia says a tithe is a one-tenth part of something paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government today tides are normally voluntary whereas historically tides were required so why do we as a church give you the opportunity to give of your finances in every single one of our services well here at Hillsong Church we believe in the biblical principles of tithe and offering and in the Bible in the book of Malachi chapter 3 verse 10 it says bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house test me in this says the Lord Almighty and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be enough room to store it you know if everybody who calls Hillsong their church if everybody brings their tithe into the storehouse or into the church as his first talks about there would be more than enough for this church to have a healthy community and be a healthy organization but not only that there'd be enough room you create enough room in your own lives individually as you trust God and trust what he says in his word and as you bring then he's able to bless you in your finances and so this morning can I encourage you to believe with me that as we give that God will bless us as a church and bless you individually amen let me pray hold your giving in your hand father I thank you that tithing is a principle that you have placed in the Bible is not a principle of man and Lord and I thank you that with it comes great blessing and as today as we bring our tithes and our offerings to you lord I pray for a blessing on every single person's life in the mighty name of Jesus amen host if you'd like to receive our giving as we would turn our attention to the screen and hear about Stuff the Bus thank you when I first started coming to Church I thought it was just a one-night thing and I ended up staying there because it just kind of stuck I guess [Music] out of the blue like two months in my mom began to like become sick doctors had spoken over her life that she wouldn't be able to make it I was sixteen like how was I actually meant to go through the phases of like not having my mom day or my dad had to get his head like wrapped around it I will admit like he did have to push us away and it was the hardest thing like as that out it's like you don't want you younger siblings to see that so they never knew like what my mum was going through or how my dad felt or how I felt it just got crazy and crazy like being especially like just joining church that that's where like my faith was most vulnerable and I was ready to kind of like give up in a sense where it was like what why did I even like bother going in like what was the point we're getting to Christmas the kids were so excited but it was something that I was dreading we just had nothing my dad just lost his job there was nothing for us there it came down to like me confiding and my youth leaders then she came to my house unexpectedly like five days before Christmas and she had dropped off a stuff the bus hamper and it had like everything we like we needed it was just right I was the perfect Christmas and I think that Christmas was like my favorite Christmas yet each stuff the bus bag that's literally a family's whole Christmas lunch you know for that day this is like someone's like happiness well church is that time of the year again it stopped the bus season where we get to extend our hand of generosity to people in need not only the people in our community waiting for our hand of generosity but the people inside our own church family just like t-ara that may need our help so let's do whatever we can this Christmas to be a blessing to others how incredible we get to be a part of as a church I have seen that video four times now I have cried all four times at that incredible story and it reminds me of the fact that the season that we're heading into is not just about filling a bag with toys or filling a bad with non-perishable food it's about helping families you know that as a campus we were able to help build over 5,000 hampers for families last year as a part of Stuff the Bus and as yeah that's in pretty incredible and the reality is is more people continue to find out about the way we're able to bless people the more that need continues to grow and what an incredible story this bag isn't just a bag of clothes she said it was a bag of happiness there's an opportunity that we have to make Christmas special for families that may really be struggling and so if you're able to please be a part of Stuff the Bus we're gonna be giving bags out at the end of the service just go to Cole's get some non-perishable food some toys for kids that may not be able to get presents this Christmas we can actually be a part of that grab your connect group if you want to bring them back to the church you can bring them back to any of the foyers in our services or during the week you can come bring them to reception but what an incredible time we get to be a part of the church blessing people loving people and making this Christmas season really really special for people that might be doing it tough pay for everything else that is happening in church life check out the screens we're gonna jump into Church news [Music] Hillsong channel now the brand-new video on-demand service is here and for a limited time you can access original series and hit shows entirely for free Hillsong channel now anytime anywhere [Music] hey everyone it's passed upon here and I'm just dropping in on all our services across all our locations all around the world actually just to say hello have you been having an amazing year and that God has been surprising you in so many ways but also just to take a moment to draw attention that what is coming up is our sister United events that I'm flesh out literally all across the world as always these are incredible opportunities together and to pull some of the girls who aren't normally part of The Sisterhood story it's an incredible opportunity to be evangelistic and to think gosh who can I invite to these nights we've actually sent you all various save-the-dates to the various locations and venues and what have you so what happens here in Australia is that you're going to roll out all around the world the cool thing for me is that I actually get to speak into that heart and life and spirit and call in a mandate of this global beautiful sisterhood and so I really pray that you can be there and I really pray also that you'll be mindful that at this time of year is where we literally launch interview color season for the next year which is hilarious it'll be our 22nd year we're not drawing back we're going forward with even more vision and more strategy and more heart and soul on those notes we actually put the invitation in your hand again and hope that you will use that as a tool to bring others and I'm excited for color I can't believe actually that it's here again but I'm excited for what God wants to do the language is beautiful to be found wind in her sails and you know again I really believe that God wants to bring breath and grace into our lives and so really praying really hoping that you're going to be a part of that in the meantime I love you Brian and I think you're the best have amazing on church services if that's what you're in right now and I will see you shortly love you [Music] I've never been one to fit in a box I don't sing I don't dance I don't paint I don't play any instruments I run a business called the cultured kid and the cultured kid is an early childhood language program they introduces kids under the age of seven to preschool French Spanish Italian language programs and even though I didn't automatically think I was a creative person being involved in our creative community helped me really frame my perspective on what it actually meant to be creative I don't do any of the tangible things but I am creative and all of us are God has created all of us in His image and here's a creative God I'm so excited for our worship in creative conference it's such an incredible opportunity for creatives to come together and hear what God wants to do through his creatives [Music] can I tell you my favorite thing about church news today the fact that there is supergenius preschoolers out there that can speak four languages there is preschoolers out there speaking French and German when I was in preschool like don't even the I could construct sentences yet but the creative conference is like 10 days away now this is what's important to know if you're in this room and maybe used to be like me and you don't think you are creative you are creative because God's creative and if God created you you are therefore creative so make sure you're a part of this it's going to be absolutely incredible and in two Sundays time we're actually recording an album on a Sunday night in our church service so you can't miss out on that but we have come to the preaching of the word on a Sunday morning so if you would be upstanding with me I'm pretty excited that Donna Crouch is about to bring the word on a Sunday morning and I said it in the 8 a.m. and the thing that I appreciate most about Donna Crouch is preaching is the fact that I can every time apply it to tomorrow I'm gonna wake up tomorrow I'm gonna take notes and I'm going to apply what Donna's brought because every single time she preaches it's something that's gonna help us in everyday life so pastor diner we are so excited hear you speak Church can we appreciate Donna if she comes to bring the word this morning Thank You pk good morning thanks for being in church this morning and for people who are joining us on the channel and all around Australia in Church of the air can we say a big hi to people on their beautiful farms and cattle stations may there be perfect rain perfect Sun may you be blessed so let's pray father thank you that we're in your house this morning and today represents a day where your grace and your mercy is fresh and new and ready for us this morning thank you that we have taken communion this morning Lord your communion table levels everything all of us equal all of us belong all of us made right with you because of your sacrifice so this morning Lord would you take this message and would you encourage every single hearer and the life that they're living that we are living and may it strengthen us and make us more like you I pray amen as you take your seat can you make sure you know the person on the other side is around near you all right this morning I'm bringing a message my heels are going to go in those grates and that could be sad and the girls understand and the guys go home this morning I'm bringing a message that I've just said in church when I've been at Hills the last few months I've just felt very very impressed to preach this message and I've not ever preached it I've just labored over it this week and it's called the generations it's we not me can you say that with me it's we not me have a look around see who we is have a look around check out the crowd it's we not me so here we go I've sat in church I'm like what is this message and then I was on the roster this week and I'm like right I'm gonna bring what I feel the Holy Spirit has asked me to bring so he goes we're gonna start by reading Luke chapter 1 verses 26 to 35 this is 39 to 45 and it's the story of Mary having this encounter with the angel Gabriel and then going to her cousin Elizabeth it says in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth a village in Galilee to a virgin named Mary she was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph a descendant of King David Gabriel appeared to her and said greetings favored one the Lord is with you confused and disturbed as a nice contrast for you confused and disturbed meaning freaking out Mary tried to think what the angel could mean don't be afraid Mary the angel told her for you have found favor with God you will conceive and give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus he will be very great and will be called son of the Most High the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David and he will reign over Israel forever and his kingdom will never end Mary asked the angel how can this be for I'm a virgin the angel replied the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you a few verses later it says a few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea the town where Zachariah lived she entered the house and greeted Elizabeth at the sound of Mary's greeting and Isabel's child left within her and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary God has blessed you above all women and your child is blessed why am I so honored that the mother of my lord should visit me when I heard your greeting the baby in my womb jumped for joy you are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said and then Mary responds with what is called and known as the Magnificat and the last verse I want to finish here is verse 56 and it says Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her hometown we read those verses in 2017 we go to the shops and there's all kinds of Christmas music playing and if you're still allowed to there'll be nativity scenes of baby Jesus Mary Jo Safin of the angels and the camels and all that jazz yeah talk to me Church yeah alright Mary didn't have that she's a teenager she's engaged to a teenager called Joseph she's just a good Jewish girl in a little tiny village and an angel appears to her and the Bible says confused and disturbed that's Mary she gets the most extraordinary assignment that could possibly be given to a woman to believe that she could be conceived in a divine way and bring the savior of the world to us and not just that but as a woman what she had to endure watching her son go from private life to a very intense public life for three years was enormous absolutely enormous so after this encounter with an angel she goes to a relative called Elizabeth who we find out in Luke 1 verse 7 is very old which means she's old she's an old girl right and she also miraculously after not being able to conceive her whole life is pregnant with a child and here we have the most beautiful picture of two generations working as God intended here you have a young teenager who's been given an extraordinary Commission where is she gonna go who is she gonna talk to where can she go and unpack this and rest and what are people gonna think they're gonna think I slept with my fiance they're never going to believe me this is a big mission this is a big ask and this woman of God filled with God's Spirit looks past the outside looks past possibly the stigma or what have you been smoking chicky babe and sees the Spirit of God at work looks beneath the layers and the teenage whatever and sees the potential and the mission of God waters it speaks into it Mary responds with what is now a very famous think or the Magnificat paintings all around the world on it and she stays there hangs out for three months I wonder what those three months were like for Mary in getting ready I wonder about the role that this elderly woman who is carrying her own miracle played in her life our God is an intergenerational God he has always used different generations to achieve his purposes all at once can you say amen to that when I first came to this church in September 1983 I was 21 years of age I was living at Kurrajong on a riding school I own 20 bucks a week when you work in that kind of job there people who work there and Runaways kids from broken homes there was a guy who was just out of jail that's where I worked I loved horses and it was free horse riding so I was up for it I used to come down to Hills Christian Life Center every Sunday night I borrow the youth that we get the horse feed in it was a v8 valiant and it does a twenty bucks worth of fuel from Kurrajong there and back which was all my money and I bring young people down with me to church in those first few years of getting involved in what is now we call Hillsong Church for me for me this is what it was like I was really shy I was a brand-new Christian to me anybody older than me anybody just a few years older than me anybody who was married or had children or had a house and didn't live in a caravan like I did or even had a car was just old you were just older because you to me look so together and now 34 years later I'm one of the oldies how did this happen terrible on staff we've got hundreds of hundreds of people and stuff and I would be one of the oldest people on staff now I can't believe it I came on staff at 23 and now at 55 I'm one of the oldies they're like I'll thank you to the older generation I'm like what are you talking about I just figured out what not to do and how to do it right now what are you talking about what they can't be talking to me and I forget you know I don't see what you see they see age and I'm like nah I'm just getting revved how do we do the generations together well I remember families some of you who are teenagers then you are now well advanced into your 40s looking at some of you Denton's Garrett's many others and I remember people in church like the girl family well they had a house not just a house they had a pool they didn't just have a dry clad pool they had an in-ground pool then there was Jim and Jill Harper they lived in Vanessa Avenue Baulkham Hills they had a pool - and the Garrett's they had oh sorry the Van Hill family they had a pool anybody with a house and a pool to me was rich you were like millionaires and I'm so grateful you opened up your homes and you let our youth group have New Year's Eve parties and Christmas parties and prayer meetings and street team meetings and we probably owe you five house loads of carpet to replace the stains but don't worry I am now reaping what I've sown Tuesday nights we have to connect groups this week in our house I have chem-dry come regularly to clean my carpet 30 pairs of Nikes and added s at the front door it's all changed Ethan's like mum you say you want young people involved but you don't want the house dirty what do you really want we can go elsewhere you know like okay come clean up afterwards and that mother how do we do the generations well God is a generation or God Mary and Elizabeth it's a picture of the generations being done well when Joseph and Mary presented Jesus Simeon is that see me as Anna the Prophet an older lady who was widowed in the first seven years after seven years of marriage found in the temple of God filled with the Spirit of God discerns the Spirit of God we have all these beautiful pictures in the New Testament of the generations being done well proverbs 20 verse 29 says this the glory of the young is their strength and the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old some of us in this room have gray hair I'm one of them it's very expensive if you're female sandra Denton's just gone with it she's just rockin the platinum in the Old Testament if you were bald you were considered sick sorry guys and they used to have a dye that you could dye your hair even whiter because white hair was considered epic the elderly were honored in the ancient world how do we in 2017 do the generation as well wear this proverb explains how both seasons what both seasons done well looks like they're both at the same time the glory of the young is his strength and the glory of the older is there gray hair of experience or wisdom both have contributions to make every generation in this room has unique strengths and weaknesses I was thinking about this this weeks from the time that I've been a teenager till now is thinking about communication if you're older communication means writing letters and cards if you're young it be snapchat texts and emojis and I still don't know what lit means I think it means lighting a fire somebody informed me afterwards a phone in when I was young was something that used to pick up and call people a phone now is a mirror a music device a torch a camera a road map and a video editing machine and shopping you don't call people at all yeah just a thought knowledge growing up with something you found in the Encyclopedia Britannica now it's Google and Wikipedia school lunches oh man school lunches for me and epic school lunch was a Devon and tomato sauce sandwich go that Devon go the fritz see you having flashbacks you're gonna go and buy some Devon's and Berliner what's the pushy end but now it's ubereats and delivery hero a date was something in my era that you actually asked somebody you want to go with me now it's all online click click click swipe right swipe left yeah if you wanted something growing up you'd do something called a lay-by or a deposit now there's after paying credit cards in fact I've gone into shops and said to you lay by and they just look at me like what dinosaur era are you from a uni degree in my generation one in five will have a uni degree in the younger generation will be one into employment was a job for life now young people will work in a place an average of three years and four months have 17 different employers and five different career paths in their lifetime unemployment if you're over 55 people spend an average of 67 weeks looking for a job if you're 15 to 54 it's more like 38 a sleeve when I was growing up was something that belonged in a shirt now if you're young here you will know that you're young because the sleeve explains the tattoo on an arm or a lot of them music was something that was found on vinyl cassettes or Sony Walkman Go the 80s and the perm now it's all about legal digital downloads got it if you're older TV is something you watch if you're younger you just do downloads on your computer so the generations are different aren't they every generation is different but in the house of God and in the new testament and these some verses I'm going to share with you this morning God gives us a better plan and a better way and really the guts of this message today as every generation is needed and every generation has a contribution to make and we need to understand what is the unique contribution that you and I in this room this morning bring and that we do it so number one write this down we've got to listen to the older listen to the older people in the ancient world like I said age was honored and respected so because our team were in LA this week at Hillsong conference we didn't have fancy TV editing but Ruth who works with me went with her iPhone and on her computer because she's young and I'm old and I couldn't do that and here's a little look at talking to some of our great ladies that sisterhood a little bit older about what they feel like being old so check it out and have a listen I am 80 and one month in three days I'm Eunice my name is Kitty ball and I'm 77 call us know sometimes I do sometimes of the our body but no it just happens getting things wrong with the body I agree with the other girls to life just catches up with you all of a sudden year but age is irrelevant it's state of mind we're all surprised and I'm still surprised when I say my age I go yeah believe it or dis compilation I don't think that any of us actually feel your body starts to itch again you can't do as much as you'd like she said and it hurts so there's a heads up if you're in the younger group today just know this older people don't feel old don't believe what the face says so when you come tonight to church and you see people who like what I thought you're all old because you're so together just don't believe it just got up and go how you're doing just have a chat yeah so listen to the older in the modern world we are obsessed with youth we're a frightened of getting old old is something that's not valued in the culture that we live in now the research I did this week 40% of resident of people in aged care facilities don't get a visit in 365 days of a year of people retrenched between the ages of 55 to 59 96% retire probably because I couldn't get work the government has a program called restart where they'll give you $10,000 for over two years to employ someone who's over 50 if they've been unemployed six months or longer that's how much a problem it is and yet jesus said 121 times in the gospel my kingdom God's kingdom the kingdom of heaven and he announced that he wasn't just here to warm us up for eternity he announced I've come to start a new order to bring my kingdom my values on this earth and that's what I want us to get this morning in these next few thoughts and so to challenge the culture of the day with the kingdom of Jesus thinking we need to look at our attitude to the older and understand that the Bible gives us the way better roadmap and this is good news for people like me and beyond yeah if you lose 50-plus be loud and proud come on owner there's good news for us because the glory of an older person is their wisdom and strength some 145 verse 4 says generation after generation standing or of your work each one tells stories of your mighty acts and that their says that each generation has a responsibility to tell the other generation it doesn't mean the older to the younger means the younger to the older that we've got this job of declaring the mighty works of God and encouraging one another intergenerationally 1 Corinthians 4 verse 15 Paul writes to the church in Corinth and says for even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ you have only one spiritual father and he's saying look this big fancy Church in current you've got thousands of guest speakers and itinerant people but none of them there are teachers and instructors but you've only got one father somebody who's in it for their long and for the long haul for the good and the bad the ugly and the grand I'm in it for the long haul so listen to me and imitate me and don't get you know fooled by the big grand gifts that come your way so you if we are older here today and old it just means you might be 10 years older than the person sitting next to you number one we've got a responsibility to pass on and and share the knowledge the wisdom the testimony of God can you say Amen everybody say I got to pass it on not the negativity not the cynicism but I got a pass on the mighty works of God and the second thought is this who said you were too old for anything who told you that if Moses thought he was too old he would never have stood before Pharaoh in Exodus 7 verse 7 at the age of aliens said God says let my people go free if Caleb was too old at 85 he would never have said in Joshua 14 to Joshua give me my Hill Country you promised me land and I want to Elizabeth would never have carried John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus if the Apostle Paul thought he was too old and said you know what it's a young person's game in acts 14 verse 19 when he got stoned and left for dead in the city of Lystra his left for dead outside the city and the Christians go and pray for him and minister to him imagine if he said I look I'm too old it's a young person's game just put the slide up on the screen so here we have the picture of the timeline of the conversion of Port Saul to Paul and right at the end where that red line is that's when he gets stoned imagine I don't know how old he is but imagine if he said I'm too old now Church don't mean a mere musics too loud I don't know been there done it too old who said you're too old that's not in the Bible let's give the whole timeline of his life there were all kinds of moments in Paul's life where he could have caught it quits we're not called to call it quits if Paul a court acquits in acts 14 there will be no church and letter to the Romans there would be no Church in Corinth there would be no Church in Ephesus there will be none of the letters that were written to the early church there were four missionary works that he had the Apostle John in the book of Revelation who was part of the church in Ephesus would never have come would never have had that revelation how empty would our New Testament be if one man called it quits and said I'm too old you're not too old for anything I want to encourage you not just to pass on the knowledge and the wisdom and the encouragement I want to stir you up this morning that your best days are ahead there's new ministries there's new passions there's new ideas I don't know if Kevin Hovey's here a great man in our church I just watched him graduate at 70 with his PhD from Alpha Crucis he is getting honored in Papua New Guinea for his services to that nation along with his beautiful wife strength to strength glory to glory that's our job profile we are a church and a Bible believing Church we are not too old for anything the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3 verse 18 and we all with unveiled faces beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another for this comes from the Lord who is the spirit older people here today people in their 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s don't abdicate don't quit keep turning up Pete keep passing on your encouragement keep praying keep getting kicked serving keeps sowing keep opening up your home and letting the carpet get dirty keep putting a plate out for somebody else at Christmas table keep going you're not done your time line is yet to be finished I reckon we should give the Lord a bigger clap than that I will never forget and we think you know one minute mingle and chatting and having a coffee and talking to somebody in a queue and saying hi to a young family that's got you know a feral kid in the car park there are all these moments in church that are transformational I remember one day when our kids were really little we had our business we didn't have much we had a rented house we had two red lounges that were torn and we and that we had them for years and remember Arthur and Heather Penton were at something at church and I remember sitting next to Arthur and Heather whoever who over here I remember Arthur telling us we had little kids we had no furniture to me the blessing of God would have looked like a new lounge that wasn't ripped and I'm saying this because I know there are families here today and you're exactly in that moment not much you be in your 30s and 40s for sure and remember Arthur saying to me he said you know your children are never going to remember their new did the day that you get your new lounge but they will remember the moments you spend with them and I'm thinking no Arthur I want a new lounge it will be the blessing of God I can't stand my ripped lounge and he said and he told me about a story about a holiday that he had and when he brought it up years later with his family they said oh that was only three days he thought it was weeks because he was little and Arthur I've never forgotten it and Heather things that you said to me and then Margaret Ticknor two weeks ago over here beautiful Margaret mother of Matt and other children that I that I know Margaret hello Preah she came up to me two weeks ago when we had the 1-minute mingle and said John oh you haven't been here for a few weeks have you been okay I've been praying for you that's Margaret chikna I can't tell you how many and you know what that's our job I need to keep moving I can point number two is we got to listen to the youth everybody say listen to the years they took the Bible seriously in edgeways matter t-shirt it's could listen to the youth I've got to listen to the youth my kids are going that was the best point you ever said today mum Luke Luke chapter 18 verse 15 again Jesus brings his kingdom and he flips everything these aren't nice ideas these are radical countercultural things that Jesus did one day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them but when the disciples saw this they scolded their parents for bothering him and then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples let the children come to me don't stop them for the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children I tell you the truth anyone who doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it this is so radical of Jesus and here's why in the ancient world in the first century a legal form of population control was infanticide and Evon your children exposed to the elements and letting them die in the Roman culture a father it was a very paternal culture a father had the right to decide if that child lived or died if you had a girl if you had a child with a disability you were allowed to let it die both can just population control that was the rule you could sell your child as a slave if you wanted to the word used to describe children in this time was the word called nipper Nepal and it was the same word was used to refer to barbarians and slaves that's how devalued children were at the time of Christ and here Jesus comes and sort of tells all the disciples off and says don't you dare push these children where their second-rate they're down there and he says no this is my kingdom I've just elevated children to be whole complete people who are part of my kingdom in fact they're now your model this is how you need to approach me so he is valuing children valuing young people and isn't it wonderful if they're gonna do a program on the ABC about Hilsum it was about all their young people because it's so Bible if you don't know what I'm talking about probably don't but it was on the other week Paul writes to Timothy and 1 Timothy 4 verse 12 and says to a young guy in his 20s probably pastoring a church in Ephesus which was like the Mykonos of the ancient world it was party orgy central and here's this young guy in his 20s crazy in in at that time you'd only get leadership like that in your 30s and 40s and here's someone young in their 20s and Paul writes to him and says hey Timothy don't let anyone think less of you because you're young but be an example to all believers in what you say in the way you live in your love your faith and your purity can you see how Jesus has flipped the culture valuing the older valuing the younger valuing children and saying I am an intergenerational God and I work with the generations even though culture throughout the decades is loved to separate them Jesus brings us together so for young people here today the question for you is where are you going to put your strengths if the glory of the older is their gray hair in their wisdom the glory of a young person is their strength that word strength in the Hebrew means your good health your power your might your wealth your ability to accomplish an action your ability to get home at 2:00 in the morning and have your parents wake you up at 7:00 and go hard another six days exactly the same I just can't do it anymore there's strength what are you gonna do with it someone verse 1 2 3 says blessed it's a person who puts their roots down deep read it blessed is that person and doesn't go after the counsel of the ungodly proverbs 3 this verse 21 says my child don't lose sight of common sense and discern them hang on to them for there will refresh your soul they are like jewels on a necklace they will keep you safe and your feet will not stumble proverbs 31 verse 1 2 3 on my son a son of my womb o son of my vows do not waste your strength on women on those who ruin Kings saying to young people don't waste yourself on sex and you know drink and and money just you your strengths for the good work of God you've got strength you've got this energy you can burn the candle at both ends us people with gray hair we're not so good at that anymore but your glory is found in your strength you're able to move to the other side of the world and go to Bible College and you're able to get out in the car park on Sunday morning with your way you know your batons and you're able to get out there and do sport and go to Bible study and go to wildlife on Friday Friday night you've got this strength use it well who and where will you use your strength if the team want to come up that'd be really cool the third thought is this it's we not me our culture is very individualistic and again the church is countercultural it's not me - I like that does that fit much its way it's you and you and you and you and you and me it's we that's church that's what generosity is all about that's what contribution is all about it's about others that God's family is about us and Galatians 3 verse 26 says this for you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus there is neither Jew or Gentile neither slave nor free nor is there male or female or can I add nor is there young or old nor is there white and Islander nor is there employed or unemployed more or is there rich or poor it just says for you are all one in Christ Jesus this is the hinge of today's message is it in God's kingdom he says I want the generations to work together I want the Oder to declare the works of God I want them to pass on their wisdom and knowledge and I want the younger to use their strength I know Pastor Brian said it before you know me the ceilings of my generative the older generation be the starting point for this younger generation that's our prayer gosh and if that isn't happening before our eyes it's amazing so let's have a look if we've got a moment let's just have a look at what I we asked these beautiful ladies these lovely pillars of sisterhood what would what do you think of the younger people in church just check it out all the young girls around me and they're just beautiful they're vibrant alive then young I love them I love them around me I really do they're beautiful and they need such nice young girls from church are so beautiful I just love being around them that they're the future that they're what we've been sowing into and they're the future they're gonna take all out what we have been striving to do and they're going to do it bigger and better as soon as full of full of vision at the energy to be happy things that we can't with it gold comes out then the word of the Lord and it's just lovely to hear and I really do love it when I hear ya yes and it is like gold conserving the Scriptures that the overt what they know you know it's just absolutely I think it's a lot of pressure on much more than when I was growing up as I grew up in the country anyway but just to be able to this is so much pressure this I think it's really hard because there's way too many distractions but a lot of them live in stop the world I want to get off because they're so busy with so many things and distractions that they haven't got time to think and be still and think about things that Jesus is a solution take a stance take a deep breath and I ask for peace I ask the Lord to give them peace which is very important a peace that passes all understanding and to be brave and courageous stay young as long as you can you know God's a self-identified college from hell because he's the only one but they made people banana we have to reach out to go spirit give the least there's always light at the end of the tunnel and things that you often think in your 20s are earth-shattering when you get to your 40s you look back and so now I realize why that happened and there was a purpose and God does have a plan and that was just part of it [Music] Susan's life ster journey and God is weaving a tapestry in all our lives and as she's saying I'm seeing older people sitting here going were they right you know it was lovely when we did that was when we filmed it was just filmed on a phone sorry the sound isn't off or shiny but I I wanted us to hear I wanted younger people here today what the oldies think about you meeting people who just a little bit older than you we think you're amazing we can't believe what comes out of your mouths we're cheering you on we expect you to take the Church of Jesus to places that has never been before and you know what whatever problem you have right now if you're young guess what you're sitting in a room with a good couple thousands of people who've just done that laughs so use the wisdom borrow the gray hair get the insight find the mighty works of God if you've got a bit of gray there you need to start rocking it and owning it you don't really need to go get a tattoo sleeve to be cool with young people just go to the toy shop and buy one you want me to do it this is going on the channel this is Matt the end so hey [Applause] i doing that is so bad my daughter's gonna be some of your checks going that is so uncool my sleeve will be in my shirt not on my arm you don't need to do this to relate yeah you can pray you can encourage you can cheer on you can so you can include you can have people in your home you can talk out in the coffee queue and outside you can chat on the way to the car you can remember somebody's name you can find them next week at minute mingle and go how did you go with that the generations are needed and working together and I feel ridiculous with this fake sleeve but you get the point I don't know what the point is I just thought it was stupid so I'm going to take it off and I'll finish with this a beautiful story in the history books of the church in the third century in Rome there was a deacon called Lawrence and he was responsible for collecting the money and distributing it to the poor of Rome under the reign of Roman Emperor valerian the prefect of the prefect of Rome hearing about the church's Treasury and money demanded that st. Lawrence hand over the riches of the church Lawrence gathered all the blind the maimed the leprous the orphans those widowed in those suffering and assembled them in rows and when the prefect of Rome arrived to collect the hidden money Lawrence simply here are the treasures of the church and a few days later he was mine the church's treasures are her people the young the older the families the outcast remained the blind can you say Amen would you stand to your feet with me this morning [Music] would you come lead this as we land this message I want this song to seal it in the one thing that unites us is we're all children of God no barriers no hierarchy no divisions just these generations doing life together car [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] okay so if you sort of 40s and Beyond could you lift your hands because I know 40 is not very old but to a 15 year old your old come on lift your hands father this morning in church in your house thank you thank you that in our 40s in our 50s in our 60s our seven is now Hades in our 90s our job isn't just to be Gandalf and have long white hair our job is to be having the passion of God on the inside and I pray Lord today for our older adults in church and we will take our place resume our position we will pass knowledge in the great works of God and Lord know that at time one has only just got started there is more works of God more ideas more businesses more degrees more ministries yet to be birthed and father may we grab it with everything that we've got in few 140 you can be loud and proud and show up and meet your hands cuz I'm jealous thank you the Lord the glory of young people he said strength but strength their health their ability Lord to do things at a level that six sure young people here today to sign that they're going to use it and invest it well into things things that are gonna take this world ahead in business and lured families in Jesus name amen look at the person next to you and say I need you I need you all right I'm gonna ask Paul Calloway to come up stay with me here the most important part of today and this morning is people making their peace with Christ but I want to say this because he won't Paul Callaway is preaching tonight at the five and the six [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and we can't wait because this Paul and crystal are amazing youth pastors but I'm asking our church to be a generational church unlike Elizabeth with Mary to be here mature and bring the atmosphere and bring out the best and see the work of God in a new and younger generation that us older people have been called to unearth can you say Amen we are all needed in the work of God amen and amen Paul would you come pray with people this morning come on church can we appreciate Donna for that message every time absolutely Sonny did stay with us for a few more moments like Donna said this is the most key part of the service and every service that we have as a part of Hillsong Church we want to give people an opportunity to encounter Jesus the reason that we are here is not to fill a building the reason that we're here is to offer an opportunity for people to meet their Savior to meet their Creator can I read you a passage of scripture from Romans 5 it says this Christ arrives right on time to make this happen he didn't and doesn't wait for us to get ready he presented himself with his sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready and even if we hadn't been so weak we wouldn't have known what to do with it anyway we can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for and we can understand how someone so good and Noble could inspire us to such a selfless act but God put his love on the line for us by offering his son in a sacrificial death while we were of no use to him whatsoever Church if you're in this place maybe you're new maybe someone's brought you along maybe you're here because it's raining and you couldn't go to the beach but if you're in this place if you haven't met Jesus yet I want to give you an opportunity to meet him there is nothing that you can do to deserve a relationship with Jesus that's the whole point of grace the point of grace is that there was no amount of good deeds that could get us close enough to God to justify to let us into him but he did all the work for us and Jesus died on a cross for our sins so that this morning all you would have to do is accept his grace so in a moment we're gonna pray a prayer together but what I'd love to I'd love to know who we're praying for this morning so if you would church would you bow your heads or would you close your eyes you're in this place and say you know what today Paul I'm getting my life right with Jesus I'm not waiting another moment I'm not waiting til next week I'm not waiting til tonight today is the day I'm gonna give my life to Jesus if you're in this place and you want to make that decision what I'd ask you to do is on the count of three I'd like you to put your hand up for a moment I'm not going to embarrass you I'm not going to call you down the front I'd love to know who I'm praying for though and if you're in this place you say you know what today is the day I'm gonna give my life to Jesus I'm gonna start this journey of knowing Jesus better would you put your hand up on the count of three with many other people were believing is going to make this decision one two three amazing very cool I see a hand back there amazing Church don't miss out on this opportunity to give your life to Jesus the most important relationship that you will ever have a savior who will never leave you never forsake you who will never turn his back on you incredible church we pray this prayer together will you repeat after me say dear Heavenly Father I'm sorry for the mistakes that I've made but today I'm giving you my life Jesus be my Savior be my best friend and help me live for you from this day on everybody said amen Church can we appreciate these people that made that decision amazing thank you sir hey if you made that decision even if you didn't raise your hand no there's nothing about raising your hand that makes you a Christian but if you prayed that prayer with your whole heart you've actually just met Jesus and what we'd love to do if we can the only people whose eyes were open in that moment we're some of our team who want to give you a gift it's a free Bible everything that Donna shared from this morning is in the Word of God it's in this Bible so please take one even if you've got a Bible at home please take this mark this is the moment you gave your life to Jesus Church can we appreciate them one more time incredible and to church can we appreciate Donna Crouch for another unbelievable message every time and Donna I am sorry because I'm fairly sure it was my connect group that wrecked your car put on Tuesday night so that's our bad we're gonna be more careful next time we cook Mexican at your house did you have fun in church this morning amazing well we're so glad you're here Church is going to be fun tonight we're gonna have a lot of fun please be here you can next Sunday Charles Nieman is going to be in the building bringing the word to make sure inviting people I think we should go with one more Psalm JD we love you Church we'll see you tonight have a great day but I'm chosen I ain't sure [Music] you [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Oh [Music] yes [Music] [Music] a man a man will see tonight have a great day

Channel: Hillsong Church

Views: 31,833

Rating: 4.9208789 out of 5

Keywords: jesus, hillsong, praise, worship, Donna Crouch

Id: q3OwCXT240I

Length: 90min 6sec (5406 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 04 2017