Hope for the City: Shalom | Nicky Gumbel

I want to talk to you today about Shalom yes that's the right response during the holidays differ and I had staying with us her mother my mother-in-law 90 years of age her name is Irina Irina comes from the Greek word irony which translates the Hebrew word Shalom Shalom is one of the most important powerful life-changing words in the entire Bible very hard to translate it occurs three times in the passage we've just had read to us and there isn't really an English word to translate it it's they use two words as they're like peace and prosperity but even that doesn't do justice as well see the real true meaning of this word when you understand the true meaning of the word Shalom it will change your life it's the greeting that they have if you go to Israel someone will greet you they say Shalom and when you believe they say Shalom this word is the answer if you come here today and you're anxious you need Shalom if you're fearful you need Shalom you're lonely you need Shalom if you're filled with angst and emptiness Shalom I don't know whether any of you have been watching Vanity Fair on Sunday nights on ITV Vanity Fair the expression Vanity Fair comes from John Bunyan's book pilgrims progress and he described Vanity Fair as a world without God and that was taken up by William Makepeace Thackeray with his novel vanity fare and each episode if you're watching it you'll know it it starts ladies and gentlemen welcome to Vanity Fair a world where everyone is striving for what is not worth having now that was a description of he was writing about London during that apollyon it was 200 years ago and he was describing a world that is not so different from our own where everyone is striving for what is not worth having people are striving from materialism thereafter thereafter promiscuity that after just stuff that was not satisfying their souls and as you look at London today we see this striving this emptiness and as a result we see the drugs and the violence and the gangs and the knife crime and a lack of shallow desperate need for sure it's what we all need in our own lives I know what it's like not to have Shillong because I wasn't a Christian growing up I know that angst the emptiness the whole inside that comes from a lack of Shalom and then I encountered Jesus and Jesus is Shalom that's his name Prince of Shalom Prince of Peace see Shalom peace is not the absence of trouble I suspect if I go around here or answer square if I ask you is there trouble in your life you'd say yes of course all of us have trouble in our life peace is not the absence of trouble it's the presence of Jesus in the midst of trouble few days ago pepper and I went to visit a member of the congregation who had a tragic accident nine months ago she fell down some stairs and she broke her neck long-standing friends and on the ministry team here for many years and she has no movement now from the neck down which it's apart from a very small movement in one arm and we went there and we went a little team and we prayed for her do you know there was a sense of Shalom in that room in the midst of really a great suffering and tragedy in her life and afterwards she wrote and she said their kindness the kindness of the team who came plus the communion and the prayer ministry the strong felt presence of the Spirit made me feel very loved the love of God moved again from my head to my heart and that sweetness and Shalom is still with me today despite awaiting all the nasty aspects of my personal care this morning see Jesus is almost synonymous with this word Shalom Jesus is the Prince of Peace when Jesus was born the angel said peace on earth Jesus came and he brought peace through his death on the cross and through his resurrection he brought peace with God that's the message we preach that's the message the disciples went out and they preached the good news of peace of Shalom through Jesus Christ Paul summarized the message he said it's we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ we have a relationship with God we're at peace we have this Shalom deep deep down in our hearts that is the good news that's the wonderful thing and this is what the Prophet Jeremiah was talking about this is one of the uses the three uses of this word in this passage today here's one it's in this promise for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to Shillong you to prosper you that's the way it's translated here and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future and all the promises of God are yes in Jesus so this is a promise for you Shalom is what they had in the Garden of Eden before the fall Shalom is one what one day all of us will experience for eternity with Jesus but what is the word there isn't a word here are some of the words that I thought even these words are not enough to do justice to it but it's all these things Shalom means peace harmony wholeness blessing security freedom completeness welfare safety tranquility well-being flourishing health prosperity fullness rest contentment friendship quite a lot of things far more than the absence of war or conflict it's the presence of something more when everything is what it can be living up to its potential completeness wholeness it's to reconcile and heal a broken relationship maybe some of you have a relationship you would love to see healed and restored well it's more than just the absence of conflict it when rivals make Shalom it doesn't just mean they stop fighting it means they start working together for each other's benefit this is what the kings of Israel was supposed to do for their cities this is what Prime Minister supposed to do this is what presidents are supposed to do they're supposed to bring Shalom but of course it didn't happen so the people were saying one day one day it's gonna happen one day there's going to be a prince of Shalom and they look forward to Jesus the Messiah the Prince of Peace and the that's what now God has for you and the moment you encountered Jesus you experienced that peace but if you're like me I lose that piece from time to time anxiety fear sin and we lose our pieces and pusses let the Peace of Christ rule in your heart how did you get the piece back there's certain things in my life which I know that's where I experienced peace the worship here today that was you could sense the Shalom of God in when I read the Bible and that's why I relapsed to read the Bible every day because I as you encountered Jesus you experience his peace so walk around the park and pray I experienced his Shalom but it's not not just on my own it's in community I lost us everywhere moved with some friends who would be meeting with for you yes like it's like couldn't I guess of a connect group and we just spent spent time with them and the the our shop passed and we felt the show love of God in that room when I go into the 24/7 prayer room I experience the Shalom of God when someone in our small group on Alpha last term a guy who he just came to Christ on the encountered Jesus himself six months ago and then he came to help in the small group and on the healing evening he prayed for me and his prayer was so powerful I experienced the sholom of God and his words and his prayer have stuck with me ever since that night it's in community it's in the church this is not something to do on our own that's why if you're not in a connect group join a connector get involved because it's in the church that's why I love the holidays but I miss the Shalom of the community that we experience here there's something amazing about the church but it's not just about even that it's not just about the church we the context of the passage attacks without a context as a pretext the context of this is 597 BC the people of God had gone into X a horrible experience they were living in Babylon and in that context three years after that that happened in 594 Jeremiah writes this letters of the exes and he says to them as you've just heard in the reading he says don't listen to the false prophets the false prophets were saying oh don't worry guys it's all gonna be over soon you're gonna be back home and he says no no no no that's not gonna happen it's gonna be 70 years you're in X and it was 70 years they were in exam and this is a picture for us some Peter writes in the New Testament that we are foreigners and exiles in this world that's what we are we are exiled because we belong in a different Kingdom the kingdom of God but we're living in the City of London we are exiles but we're living there and how do we respond to that how do we live in that city well this is revolutionary this is the biblical teaching on how to live in a city when you're living as an exile and he says I urge you he says what he says to seek the Shalom of Babylon verse 7 seek the peace and prosperity the Shalom of the city into which I have carried you into exile here is the biblical principle that we shall on comes not just in your own relationship with God not just in the community but it comes as you go out and seek the Shalom of wherever you are if you're a young person you seek the Shalom of your school you seek the Shalom of your University you seek the Shalom of your business if your business flourishes you will flourish if your school flourishes you that seek the Shalom or wherever you are that's the calling of all of us as exiles this is revolution because the church is like Jesus says like yeast you need the dough to make the bread we're out there like the yeast in the world like a light bringing light to wherever we are you are light jesus said you're bringing Shalom here's the thing the biblical understanding of Shalom is not something that you have it's something that spills out of you as well so the Shalom that you have spills out so that other people around you experience Shalom because you're there you have an impact on your workplace you have an impact on your family you have an impact on your Jim you have an impact on your community because Shalom is coming from you to them so how does this apply to us we're called not just to be a church in London but a church for London others cities have always played a strategic part in God's plan that's why we're planting these city centre churches all around the country and they're having an impact on their city you go to Brighton and they've heard of some Peters Brighton they know what's happening with the homeless they the young people they they see the people flooding into the church it's having an impact on the city and that's true of these churches all over now in nottingham birmingham norwich but form of Gateshead but we also are in a city arguably according to Forbes man magazine the most influential city in the entire world children change London you can change the world could that happen could it happen in London could we see the Shalom of Jesus come to London yeah Vanity Fair Times it was in a very dark place like at the moment but then along came the impact of Wesley and whitfill began to change the city and then you know slavery was around still at the time of the Napoleonic Wars but then Wilberforce Shaftesbury the start rakes the start of the Sunday schools by 1910 there was a total transformation in the country but then since then it's been in decline except for a little blip which happened if you're watching the series on Netflix of the crown anybody series - there's a Fe sewed where the Queen forms the friendship with a man who died in February this year Billy Graham he came to London in 1954 and people mocked him silly Billy he booked he booked the herring gay arena which held 12,000 people had only ever been filled for one night he booked it for three months first night it was packed second night it snowed and it was still almost full and every night thereafter it was packed out then he went her to Falco square and the Trafalgar Square was packed and then he went to Wembley Stadium and a hundred and twenty thousand people packed Wembley Stadium and London began to experience the Shillong of God people were talking about Jesus this is what they said about what happened at that time Jesus was the topic of conversation in homes factories clubs and pubs even more extraordinary was the transformation on the tube on the London Underground from the seemingly endless queues waiting at the station for tickets one hears wave after wave of song rolling back towards the streets they were singing on the underground the two trains are packed with these singing multitudes and there's a smile on every face this quite spontaneous demonstration of Christian joy is most impressive this is the Daily Telegraph is most impressive and one cannot fail to observe the effect it has on passengers who board the trains at subsequent stations that's the Shalom of God spreading in London and what how how in practice do we bring that how could that happen again here's the first thing from this passage pray to the Lord for it this was unique in ancient literature Jeremiah says pray for your captors they never did that they did the opposite they prayed against their captors pray for you pray for your city that's what we're doing on Tuesday here Kingdom Come praying for this city that's what the 24 Sam's in the 24/7 prayer room prayed for your city then hold out Jesus how does shalom come to London Jesus comes to London that's why we do the stuff we do that's why we do Alpha because like hoping out Jesus is not just one of the things we do it is the thing we do we're trying to as we want people in this city to know Jesus because if they know Jesus they know Shalom so I mention it's amazing they're not hundreds of our course is running across London 10,000 in the UK something is happening and then strong and healthy relationships he talks about marrying and having families and increasing but this is all relationships relationships in your connect group your friendship groups relationships at work builds strong healthy relationships and yes marriage matters too marriage is under attack and a strong and healthy marriage is brings Shalom I met a couple here at the 1130 service last Sunday and we'd been introduced and they were gay they were going to come to lunch and and I hadn't met them before we're not consciously met them before but they they are I knew them from their films because their film starts both of them are film stars and they live in Hollywood and they came here to celebrate their 20th anniversary of their marriage and they said that's almost unique in Hollywood and I heard their story how they came as students for this church they met at this church they did alpha here 20 years ago they did the marriage course here and they spoke about her marriage course has had such an impact on their marriage now in Hollywood couples come to see them because they see the example of their night and they want to have a marriage like that they want to have a family like that you know the the Li stuff on on the marriage cause apparently this is absolutely rid of the bad prep book it's it's life-changing this is having an impact on our city essentially have an impact on Hollywood this is the impact of salom relationships in the workplace creating and cultivating a culture wherever you are in your business your politics government you in your school amazing to hear what you young people at once' square in your school's the impact that you're having bringing your friends to church you and then encountering Jesus and experiencing Shalom this is happening right across this is your presence wherever you work you are a carrier of Shalom you're bringing the Shalom of Jesus to your workplace and then the pool to the to the estates and something amazing happening the earlier service I welcomed some Francis del gana a state which is now another site for us and we're planting into that's the vision to plant into a state and this is this is what could happen if there was a church on every estate in London right across this nation and it's possible I saw this just recently in the national press here was the headline return of Christianity shirts to be placed on every estate of the UK says Church of England hallelujah what an amazing exciting vision that is [Applause] what could happen here in London and you know the when Billy Graham came in 1954 twelve years later he came back 1966 he came back to our school and this is what people said the impact of your time in London with all those hundreds of thousands of people hearing about Jesus has been so extraordinary this is the this is the key that we've noticed in ours court on the stage with him were 52 Anglican clergymen all of whom who were converted in 1954 at Haring gay and were now ordained in the Anglican Church 52 that was considered amazing and was going to change the country but do you realize something even more amazing is happening right now hundreds are being cool we have some of them here if you'd like just come up come up those of you who are these are these are some of the work this is just one from than this year next year last year rather who are training for ordination and all they all trained to be vicars in the Church of England and they're just enough they're just some of the ones in our churches you can be plot some of them can be planting on to those estates some of them going to be leading city center churches across this country in due course this is just some of those that are here but there are hundreds of summer lightest [Applause] and again the national press has noticed in the week a couple of weeks ago a good week for the Church of England which is experiencing a surge in the number of young people training to be priests here are some of them and then Sky News Millennials during the Church of England has risen by 32 percent these are all Millennials there's risen by 32 percent in the last two years 54 percent of those are women hallelujah you want to see hope for the Church of England take a look at these guys that's hope thank you guys so much [Applause] what could happen well it's not just course I've got the best job in the world so I recommend being a vicar in the Church of England but it's not just that it's in your workplaces it's in every sphere of society like that couple in Hollywood we need people in every area in politics businesses healthcare schools universities right across every sphere of society and you can bring salam wherever you are because you're special because you have god's anointing on you you have God's Spirit living within you all of you you have the Spirit of God living in you you have God's Shalom wherever you are Michael Keturah is a pediatric mental health nurse he married his wife's name I think is IV and he had a daughter and they were so the baby was so sick mother and baby was so sick they almost died he prayed all night he's also a part time worship leader he prayed all night that they would survive and they did but they they've said you can't have any more children but when isn't the daughter was seven years old she said I had a dream that we would adopt as a family three little boys and they applied to adopt and the first offer they received was of three little boys and they adopted those three little boys and then they thought well that's these boys it had such a terrible life they were able to change that life and then there was a thought they were offered a four year old little boy who had been home was homeless he was are living on the streets so they took him into their home and then because he was a nurse this is what we this is this little boy he's got cerebral palsy would you would you be able to adopt him and they said yes of course we'd love to adopt him and so they now have six children and yeah and he got the the opportunity to go on to America's Got Talent and this is what happened if you can bring Shalom to Simon Cowell you can bring Shalom to anyone think of all the people in your workplace that you think are there like Simon Cowell and they would never be interested you can make a diff they can be impacted by your life and as you watch this next clip think about these words applying to you because they do apply to you each of you wherever you are in your community your family you have the Shalom of God in your schools and universities you have the Shalom of God and these words which was spoken over Michael this is the next round these words that are spoken over Michael they apply to every Christian who is carrying the Shillong of Jesus take a look at this yeah it's who you are and how you are and that applies to every single one of you it's who you are in your school and how you are who you are in your university how you are who you are in your business how you are who you are in that Hospital how you are what could happen in this city as each of us and this nation as each of us go out with the Shalom of God filled with his Shalom / spilling to others we really could play our part in the rear Vangelis ation of this nation the revitalization of the church and the transformation of our society in Jesus name Amen [Applause] you

Channel: HTB Church

Views: 3,389

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Nicky Gumbel, Hope for the City, Shalom, Vision Sunday

Id: y7NvOMakJOk

Length: 29min 19sec (1759 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 11 2018