Participants: Thando Malambo
Series Code: 10GYC
Program Code: 10GYC000002
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04:01 Good morning GYC, good morning,
04:04 are we awake this morning, yes, 04:06 praise the Lord. What a blessing it is to be here, 04:11 to be part of this army of young people that 04:14 is on a mission as it were to proclaim the 04:17 everlasting gospel to the whole world 04:20 in this generation. Is that why we're here? 04:22 Yes, amen, amen. I wanted to thank you 04:27 and let you know that I had been overwhelmed 04:29 by how many people have told me that 04:31 they were praying for me, thank you for doing that. 04:33 And I ask you to keep on praying, 04:36 not just for me but for each and every speaker 04:38 who will be talking with you this weekend, 04:40 because we need an outpouring 04:42 of the Holy Ghost. We need the Lord to be 04:45 with us and speak to our hearts each 04:47 and every time we come here this weekend. 04:50 So, it's a pleasure, it's a privilege 04:52 and I continue to seek your support in prayer. 04:57 Our message this morning is entitled 04:59 "Even If," and if you like an alternate title 05:03 would be "I'd rather have Jesus." "Even If" 05:09 or "I'd rather have Jesus." 05:12 And as we begin I want to begin by sharing 05:15 with you a brief mission report, right. 05:19 I have the privilege of serving as the 05:21 evangelism coordinator for ALIVE, Africans living 05:25 in view of eternity, and we at ALIVE 05:27 are moved by this conviction that the African 05:31 crises really is fundamentally spiritual 05:35 and the answer to it has to be Jesus Christ himself, 05:38 right. And so our vision, our burden, 05:41 our dream as ALIVE is to inspire and train 05:45 and mobilize young people in Africa to be 05:48 effective in evangelism. In this past summer 05:52 just to give an example, we took 80 young 05:54 people from Ghana part of our ALIVE Ghana 05:58 branch in Ghana, and we took 80 young people 06:01 up to Northern Ghana for a three week 06:03 mission intensive. Now Northern Ghana is 06:07 probably the hardest mission territory 06:10 I've ever been to, okay. Temperatures there get up 06:14 to over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, its extremely 06:17 hot and the kind of heat where you feel 06:20 as you're being baked in the African sun, 06:23 like literally cooked, right. And top of being 06:26 hot its intense heavy rainfall and on top of 06:29 that its mosquito infested, every single 06:33 second you're getting bit by a mosquito. 06:36 And we had this 80 young people, all graduates, 06:39 all young professionals go up to North Ghana 06:42 for three weeks, right and this young people 06:45 took it in stride. They slept on the floor; 06:48 they took the mosquitoes, the heat, 06:50 the rain. They went door to door preaching 06:52 the gospel every single day for three weeks. 06:57 Now at the end of that three weeks by the grace 07:00 of God 165 souls were baptized, that's amazing, 07:07 amen, amen. But even more amazing for me 07:10 is the fact that when the mission ended some 07:13 of these young people volunteered to stay 07:16 in North Ghana. Remember, I say to myself what, 07:21 I said who in their right mind wants to stay 07:25 in such harsh conditions, I mean sleeping 07:28 on the floor, the mosquitoes, the rain, 07:30 how do you want to stay in North Ghana 07:33 and they wanted to stay to nurture the newly 07:36 baptized students to keep on preaching the gospel 07:40 and I was amazed by their sacrifice. 07:43 Now as you consider these young people 07:47 willing to stay in what is probably Ghana's 07:50 poorest region, willing to make those "sacrifices." 07:56 We may be tempted to ask if they were out of 07:59 their minds and I wanna submit this morning 08:03 that they had found something that was worth 08:07 sacrificing for. And our message this morning 08:11 again it basically answer the question is there one 08:15 thing of supreme value that is worth losing 08:19 everything for. Our message is "Even If." 08:24 Let's pray before we get into it. 08:31 Our gracious Father in heaven, 08:37 Lord, we have come this morning to hear 08:40 a word from you. Father, we ask for the 08:45 presence of the Holy Spirit. 08:48 Father, we ask that every heart that is here 08:52 this morning may be touched and may hear 08:56 words directly from you. Father, as you promised 09:00 Moses in Exodus 4:12 when you say to him. 09:04 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, 09:07 and teach thee what thou shalt say. 09:11 Father, teach me what I shall say. 09:14 Let this message be yours, speak to every 09:17 heart and help us Father to truly, meaningfully sing 09:23 the song, I'd rather have Jesus. 09:27 We pray this asking and believing in the name 09:30 that you cannot reject, the name of 09:33 Christ Jesus our savior, amen. 09:42 If you have your Bibles as you should have 09:44 your Bibles, turn them with me to the Book 09:47 of First Samuel chapter 1, when you get there 09:51 say amen, and if you need time say have mercy, 09:58 have mercy. Are we there, yes, 10:04 I need a lot of amen, are we there, amen. 10:07 Okay, the book of First Samuel occurs 10:10 immediately after the Judges at the time when 10:13 every man pretty much did what was right 10:16 in his own eyes. And in First Samuel chapter 1, 10:20 we read of a man named Elkanah who we're 10:23 told had two wives, the name of one was 10:25 Hannah the other was Peninnah. 10:28 And verse 2 tells us that Peninnah had children 10:32 but Hannah had none and the reason being 10:35 given in verse 5 that the Lord had shut up 10:39 her womb. And when I read verse 6, 7 and 8 10:42 in your hearing, and her adversary also provoked 10:48 her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord 10:51 had shut up her womb. And as he did so year 10:55 by year, when she went up to the house 10:57 of the Lord, so she provoked her; 10:59 therefore she wept, and did not eat. 11:03 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, 11:06 why weepest thou? And why eatest thou not? 11:10 and why is thy heart grieved? 11:13 Am not I better to thee than ten sons? 11:19 For a women in Hannah's position this desire 11:23 to have a child was enough to struggle with. 11:26 She wanted something that she could not have 11:28 because God had shut up her womb, right. 11:32 And yet what made a situation even worse was 11:35 a fact that her adversary Peninnah 11:37 provoked her sore. That word means that 11:40 she literally provoked her grievously to make 11:43 her miserable. Remind her everyday what 11:46 she did not have, provoking her, 11:50 making her miserable, and thus as a result 11:53 we're told in verse 7, that therefore she wept, 11:56 and did not eat. I don't know when was the last 11:59 time you were so grieved, you could not eat. 12:03 And then verse 10 tells us she was in 12:06 bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, 12:10 and wept sore. When the Bible says 12:13 she was in bitterness of soul she was in such 12:16 deep distress, such distress she could 12:19 have died, that's how distressed she was. 12:24 And then in verse 8, Elkanah asks a very 12:28 pointed question that we are going to reflect 12:31 on in a different way this morning. 12:33 And Elkanah, her husband says to her, 12:36 Hannah, why do you weep, why do you not eat, 12:39 why is your heart grieved? 12:41 Am not I better to thee than ten sons? 12:45 Now here was a man who loved a woman 12:48 and as you read the story Hannah was his 12:51 favorite wife, the one he loved the most, 12:53 despite the fact she had borne no children, 12:55 he still loved her. And I could imagine him saying 12:59 to her Hannah, I know that you want children, 13:03 but I'm here and I love you, am I not better 13:07 to you than ten sons? Is the fact that 13:10 you have me; is that not enough for you? 13:13 Am I not better to you than ten sons, 13:16 because he had loved her and kept on loving 13:18 her despite the fact she had no children. 13:22 Now we know how this story ends, right, 13:26 but this morning I want to pause the story here, 13:30 because I want us to hear Jesus asking that 13:35 question this morning to each and every heart 13:38 that is here, am I not better to thee than 13:43 ten sons? How would you answer Jesus, 13:49 if He asked us that question this morning? 13:53 The question being, am I not better to 13:57 you than ten sons? I think sometimes at GYC, 14:02 we spend our lives desiring things we do not have, 14:09 and we spend so much time focusing on what 14:11 we do not have that we forget who we have, 14:16 and so we weep, we mourn, we are in deep 14:19 distress because we do not have a, b, c and d 14:22 and all the while Christ stands right by 14:25 and ask us, am I not better to you than 14:29 ten sons? Am I not better? 14:33 And we forget the fundamental reality 14:36 that life is not about what we have but 14:40 about who we have. Life isn't about what 14:44 you have, but about who you have. 14:46 And so Jesus asks the question, am I not better 14:51 to you than ten sons? 14:57 Am I not better? I stand to remind us this morning 15:03 of one very simple reality and that's the 15:07 fact that Jesus is better, he is better than 15:11 ten sons, better than anything the world 15:15 has to offer and there are many people 15:19 in the Bible who understood this reality 15:21 and I just want to pick on one this morning, 15:23 namely Moses. In Hebrews 11, let's turn 15:27 our Bibles there. In Hebrew chapter 11 15:31 the Bible records a very telling account 15:35 of Moses life, as we look at the reality that 15:39 for us is Jesus better, right, in Hebrews 15:43 chapter 11 as you get there please say amen, amen. 15:47 From verse 24 to 26, the Bible tells us, 15:53 that by faith Moses, when he was come to years, 15:57 refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 16:01 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the 16:04 people of God, than to enjoy the pleasure of sin 16:08 for a season. Esteeming the reproach of Christ 16:12 greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: 16:15 for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. 16:22 Now as I read verse 26, I say to myself 16:26 wait a second, is the Bible telling you 16:29 and me that Moses esteemed the reproach 16:33 of Christ greater riches, reproach for Christ 16:38 was greater riches. When was the last time 16:42 you thought of reproach as riches or suffering 16:46 for Christ as riches. The Bible says Moses 16:50 esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches. 16:58 Moses had a glittering career politically 17:02 ahead of him. He could very well have been 17:05 the next King of the Egypt, 17:07 and Egypt then being the wealthiest, 17:10 one of the wealthiest nations in the world 17:15 and the priceless treasures of the Pharaohs' tombs 17:19 often times include several thousand 17:21 pounds of pure gold. You're speaking of a level 17:26 of wealth that's unknown to many of us. 17:29 And Moses had this in his hands, 17:32 he had Egypt, the power, the money, 17:35 there was everything the world had to offer 17:37 in his hand, and he could have had it 17:42 but he esteemed the report of Christ 17:45 greater riches. Its almost as if Moses had a 17:49 balance in his mind. On the one hand he had 17:52 Egypt's and all the wealth and power of Egypt 17:55 and in the other he had Jesus, not just Christ 17:58 but reproach for Christ, suffering for Christ 18:03 and in his mind he said Egypt, wealth, 18:06 money power versus Christ and reproach for Christ. 18:10 And it said he weighed the balance and his balance 18:13 said Christ is the greater riches. 18:19 Moses had the world in his hands and he chose 18:23 Christ as the greater riches. He esteemed 18:28 reproach for Christ, greater riches. 18:33 Now I imagine if Moses had friends who knew 18:38 the decision he was making, they might have 18:41 said to him Moses, are you out of your mind, 18:45 are you seriously going to walk away from the 18:48 power, the wealth, the money of Egypt 18:51 to go become a slave, to suffer reproach 18:54 for this Christ as you call him. 18:57 Moses what are you doing with yourself, 19:00 are you out of your mind? How can you walk 19:04 away from Egypt, from the throne of Egypt? 19:10 And I imagine perhaps his answer would 19:12 have been yes, I'll walk away because Jesus 19:20 is better, because Jesus is better. 19:27 He chose to suffer affliction with the 19:31 people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures 19:34 of sin for a season. That's by faith 19:37 he forsook Egypt, because Jesus was better 19:40 in every sense of the word, and he said to 19:45 himself I would rather have Jesus even 19:48 if it means losing the power and the wealth 19:53 of Egypt, I would rather have Jesus. 19:57 And my question this morning friends is, 20:01 is Jesus better to you, is he better? 20:07 And if you have the same choice Moses 20:08 had to make would we choose him over anything 20:13 the world has to offer. Is Jesus better? 20:24 As I think about why Jesus is better 20:28 and obeying to the meet of our passage this 20:31 morning in John chapter 6 where Christ 20:34 himself answers the question. 20:38 In John chapter 6, the Bible speaks to us 20:42 of the accounts beginning of Jesus 20:46 feeding the 5000, that multitude, 20:51 and we're told that as a given human 20:55 is to get there, are we there, are we all there. 21:03 And we're told that the day after this 21:07 great miracle, the day after the feeding 21:10 of the 5000, multitudes came back looking 21:15 for Jesus. And matter of fact when they 21:18 found him not, they took shipping went all 21:21 the way to Capharnaum seeking Jesus and when 21:25 they found him in verse 25, they asked 21:30 a seemingly simple question, and they say 21:32 to him in verse 25, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? 21:39 And then Jesus answered them and said, 21:43 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, 21:48 not because ye saw the miracles, but because 21:51 ye did eat of the loaves and were filled 21:55 And so Jesus penetrates the depth 21:58 of their motivation. He understands that 22:01 they're not seeking him because of who 22:03 he is but because of what he can give them 22:06 temporarily. And so as we look at verse 26 22:10 we understand that these people came seeking 22:13 Jesus for the hope of temporal gain. 22:17 They came because they ate of the loaves, 22:20 and were filled. For no other reason but 22:23 they came looking for temporal gain. 22:27 And once you turn in John chapter 6 is that 22:30 Jesus essentially dashed their hopes. 22:35 Beginning in verse 35, they came looking, 22:42 waiting for him to give them more bread, 22:44 to give them more things of this world, 22:48 but then Jesus gave them himself. 22:52 In verse 35 he says, I am the bread of life: 22:57 he that cometh to me shall never hunger, 23:02 and he that believeth in me shall never thirst. 23:06 Come down to verse 47, 23:10 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth 23:14 on me hath everlasting life. 23:16 I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat 23:20 manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 23:23 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, 23:27 that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 23:31 I am the living bread which came down 23:34 from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, 23:37 he shall live forever: and the bread that 23:40 I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the 23:45 life of the world. And verse 52, 23:49 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, 23:52 saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? 23:58 They didn't get it. And then verse 53, 24:03 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, 24:07 I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh 24:10 of the Son of man, and drink his blood, 24:13 ye have no life in you. Just reflects in verse 53 24:20 for one minute with me, Jesus says except 24:24 to eat his flesh and drink his blood we have 24:27 no life in us. Can we be walking around 24:32 seemingly breathing, but if we haven't eaten 24:35 the flesh and drunk the blood of a son of man, 24:38 we are simply living a lifeless existence. 24:44 And Christ tells this to them. 24:46 He says I'm the bread of life you've come looking 24:49 for temporal gain, you've come looking for bread, 24:52 physical bread, but I'm the bread of life, 24:56 it's in me that your soul find its deepest 25:00 satisfaction. It's me you are looking for 25:02 and I'm here giving myself to you as 25:05 the bread of your life. And Christ tells them 25:09 very clearly, very cuttingly, unless you 25:12 eat my flesh and drink my blood you got 25:15 no life in you. You got to live by me, abiding me, 25:20 make me first, last and best because 25:23 I'm the bread of life. And by the way friends 25:27 this is still a truth today as it was when 25:30 he first spoke it. Many of us try to replace 25:34 Christ with the temporal things in our lives. 25:38 We think that if we just study hard enough just 25:42 get that Harvard degree, just get that job, 25:45 just get that six figure salary we'll be happy, 25:50 but friends the bread of life is not money, 25:54 wealth, education, it's not any of that at all. 25:59 The bread of life is Christ and Christ alone, 26:04 not money, not power, not wealth, not friends, 26:09 he is the bread of life. The same with our bread 26:13 we eat it physically and it becomes digested, 26:17 it becomes a part of our being spiritually 26:20 that's what Christ is to us. 26:22 Without Him we cannot exist and Christ 26:27 stands there this multitude before him 26:31 waiting for him to give them the wants 26:34 and Christ is guess what, the gift I want 26:37 to give you is myself because 26:40 I'm the bread of life. The greatest gift Christ 26:45 wants to give us is himself, 26:50 he is the greater gift, He because 26:54 He is the bread of life. 26:58 Is Christ the bread of your life this morning? 27:04 Is he, do you know what happened? 27:12 These multitudes didn't realized, 27:16 you know when Jesus says in verse 50 and 51, 27:24 speaking very clearly that only those who 27:27 that believes in him never hungers or thirsts, 27:31 because everything else in life will leave 27:33 you hungry and thirsting, only Christ satisfies, 27:39 only Christ satisfies, everything else will 27:42 leave you hungry and thirsting, 27:46 and as the multitudes hear these words 27:49 verse 60 records that among themselves 27:52 they say in verse 60, Many there forth 27:56 his disciples, and they heard this, said, 27:59 This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 28:04 Underline the word disciples in verse 60, 28:08 this was not people of the world, this was 28:11 disciples who had somehow made up their minds 28:16 to at least begin to follow Jesus, 28:19 and when Jesus says to them you must make me 28:23 the bread of your life, they were like this is 28:25 a hard thing, who can hear it? 28:28 Who can understand, who can accept this 28:30 saying it's a hard saying. 28:34 Why was it hard for them? 28:40 In the Desire of Ages, page 383, writing about 28:46 this accounts, Ellen White writes, 28:53 if men could have had the world with Christ, 29:00 multitudes would have proffered Him 29:03 their allegiance; but such service He could 29:08 not accept. She is saying if they could have 29:14 had the worlds and Christ, 29:18 they would have gladly followed Jesus, 29:22 but this kind of service Jesus could not accept, 29:27 he could not accept. If they could have the 29:32 world with Christ they would have followed, 29:38 but this was not what Christ was asking for. 29:43 He was telling them very plainly you must 29:47 make me first, last and best. He was calling them 29:54 to choose him over anything 29:58 the world had to offer them. 30:03 And then verse 66 records the chilling truth. 30:12 That as they heard these sayings from that 30:15 time many of his disciples went back, 30:20 and walked no more with him. 30:26 These were disciples and again underline 30:29 the word disciples, followers of Jesus, 30:34 and when Jesus asked them to make him 30:37 the bread of their lives, make him first, 30:39 last and best, they said no that's a hard saying, 30:45 we cannot accept it, and they went back, 30:48 they turned back and they walked 30:50 no more with him. And they went back 30:53 because their worldly ambitions had been 30:56 disappointed, they went back because 30:59 they had come expecting the world and Christ 31:03 gave them himself, and they thought 31:06 it was a gift too small. They thought the gift 31:13 of Jesus was too small, give me the world 31:17 I don't want him, give me the world 31:20 I don't want him. They thought Jesus giving 31:26 himself to them was a gift too small 31:30 and they went back, they turned back. 31:36 And I wonder this morning as some of us 31:39 think of Jesus as being a gift too small. 31:45 Honestly speaking do we? 31:52 But here is the sobering irony, in verse 66 31:58 Jesus does nothing to stop those who are 32:01 turning back, he lets them go. If you are going 32:04 to go back go, but then he turns to the 12, 32:08 the 12 who stayed and he says to them 32:12 in verse 67, will you also go away, will you also 32:18 like the multitude, will you also go away, 32:21 and then Peter answered in verse 68, 32:25 Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words 32:32 of eternal life. And Peter says even if we could 32:37 go where shall we go, to whom shall we go. 32:42 And friends, Peter is saying here is the truth 32:46 that we must take home this morning, 32:49 yes, Jesus is better yes, He is best, 32:54 but he is also the only, there is no way to turn. 33:00 So whom shall you go, who else has the word 33:04 of eternity, who else will be what Christ 33:06 is to you. Who else is life, 33:10 who else is the bread of life, who else, 33:13 where shall you go? Peter says, 33:17 Lord to whom shall we go. 33:20 Thou and thou alone has the words of eternal life. 33:32 To whom shall we go? 33:38 You know the book of John is built around 33:41 seven I am statements, do you know them. 33:47 In John 6 we saw the first I am, 33:50 I am the what? The bread of life. 33:55 In John 8 verse 12, I'm the light of the world. 34:02 In John 10:7-9, I am the door of the sheep. 34:08 In John 10:11-14, I am the good shepherd, 34:14 John 11:25, I am the resurrection and the life. 34:21 John 14:6, I am the way the truth 34:24 and the what, life and John 15, I am the what? 34:33 The true vine, I am the true vine. 34:40 Now look at those I'm statements with me, 34:45 he is the bread of life, the light of the world, 34:48 the good shepherd, the door of the sheep. 34:51 We answer only through him, he is the way, 34:55 the truth and the life, by him being the life 34:58 everything that lives, everything that breathes 35:02 only does so because of Christ, 35:06 because he is the life, our life is brought 35:10 from him, apart from him there is no life. 35:15 So now reason through that with me friends, 35:18 if Jesus is as the Bible says, I am, I am, I am, 35:22 so whom shall we go, if Jesus is the great I'm 35:27 where are you going to turn to if you turn 35:29 back from him. Is there anything, 35:33 anything you and I need that Christ does 35:37 not offer, is there anything we need that 35:42 we cannot find in Jesus. Is there anything 35:48 our soul longs for and needs that Jesus is not, 35:55 is there anything? 36:06 In Jeremiah 2 verse 13 and we can turn 36:13 there Jeremiah 2 verse 13, speaking about the irony 36:19 of turning from the life giver, 36:25 Jeremiah 2 verse 13, are we there. 36:30 Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, 36:35 God talks about how his people have committed 36:40 two evils, how many evils? two evils. 36:44 He says my people have committed two evils; 36:49 they have forsaken him, the fountain 36:53 of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, 36:57 broken cisterns that can hold no water. 37:02 Now please look at that verse with me, 37:05 God's people turned away from him the fountain 37:09 overflowing with living water, and they went 37:12 to drink from cisterns, broken ones that 37:15 can hold no water. Is there any sense in that? 37:20 How do you turn away from the fountain 37:23 overflowing with living water and try to drink 37:27 from a cistern that cannot even hold water. 37:32 Its nonsensical, it makes absolutely no sense. 37:39 Now as you and I think about Jesus being 37:43 who he is, how then do we turn away from him 37:49 and whom we exist? How do we turn away from 37:55 him who alone can satisfy the deepest longings 37:59 of our soul? How do we turn away from 38:04 the gift giver, looking for gifts he alone can give, 38:10 how do you turn away, how do you walk away 38:13 from living water to a broken fountain that 38:17 cannot even hold water. Friends, turning back, 38:23 turning back from Christ is suicidal, 38:28 did you hear what I said, turning back from 38:32 Jesus is suicidal. If Christ is who he says 38:38 he is turning back is suicidal, 38:43 it makes no sense. 38:50 And it's no wonder then that when Jesus asks 38:53 Peter in John 6:67, would you also go away, 38:58 Peter says Lord to whom shall we go, 39:02 fundamentally because Jesus is better, 39:05 not just better, he is best and he is the only. 39:10 And if friends if we are not convinced about 39:12 that reality, if Christ is not more attractive to 39:17 us then anything the world has to offer 39:20 it's because we have not understood who he is, 39:24 because if we knew who Jesus is, 39:28 if we could look full into his face, 39:31 if we could just see him for what and 39:34 who he is we would desire nothing else. 39:39 The songwriter says, turn your eyes upon Jesus, 39:46 Look full in His wonderful face, 39:50 And the things of earth will grow strangely dim 39:56 in the lights of His glory and grace. 40:01 If we just turn our eyes on Jesus, 40:05 just turn our eyes on Jesus. 40:09 This is very simple question for you to 40:12 answer this morning, is Jesus better to you, 40:17 is he best, is he only, have we understood that 40:22 there is no where to turn 40:24 if we turn away from Jesus. 40:29 As we close I want to share with you my own 40:34 even if experience and CQ shared a little bit 40:38 as she was introducing us this morning. 40:42 In my sophomore year at Harvard University, 40:48 the Lord called me to take a year off, 40:51 and to go do the campus missionary 40:55 training program. And I remember taking that 40:59 year off in obedience to God's command 41:04 and facing the very real risk of losing 41:10 my Harvard scholarship and education, 41:14 and it wasn't until the end of my year as a 41:17 campus missionary that the crises really hit me. 41:21 And I came home to say there was a visa 41:24 complication that because of my taking 41:27 a year off from school to be a missionary, 41:30 and if that complication did not get resolved, 41:34 I would basically not be able to go back to 41:36 Harvard and finish my education. 41:39 I remember thinking to myself as the year 41:42 continued and Lord what I'm going to do? 41:46 What do I tell my parents that I had this 41:49 full all paid scholarship including books 41:53 and personal expenses to Harvard, 41:55 and I threw it away for campus ministry, 42:00 try telling your parents that? 42:05 And as I pounded these questions in my mind 42:08 and I told to myself Lord if, 42:09 if I don't go back to Harvard I'm finished, 42:13 and God's question was, Thando, 42:16 would you rather have Jesus even if it means 42:19 losing Harvard, would you rather have Jesus 42:24 even if it means losing your dream school 42:27 and scholarship. I mean come on friends 42:30 is Harvard going to save you, is Harvard 42:33 going to cleanse your soul, is Harvard going 42:36 to redeem you, can Harvard replace 42:39 Christ in you life, between Christ 42:43 and Harvard there is no possible comparison, 42:48 Christ is better, better, best and only. 42:52 So, take Harvard if you I do not care 42:55 I must have Jesus, I would rather Jesus, 42:58 take Harvard if you will. And it was a painful 43:03 lesson to learn but God had to bring me 43:07 there to teach me that lesson, 43:09 that Jesus is first, last and best. 43:13 In a very real sense, I would rather have Jesus, 43:18 because look at it friends, 43:19 if you have Jesus and if he is the great I'm, 43:23 which he is the one in whom all things consist. 43:29 Corinthians 1:17, tells us: The one in whom all 43:33 things have there being, if you have Jesus 43:37 you have everything because he is 43:42 and there is nothing else apart from him. 43:44 He is life, the way that should the resurrection, 43:48 the good shepherd, the bread of life, 43:51 and if you have Him and you got everything. 43:54 So now why fell Jesus short, why turn back 43:59 from him in whom our existence consists. 44:07 Now the Lord after teaching me that lesson, 44:13 worked everything out to bring me 44:15 back to Harvard, praise His name, 44:18 and I graduated this past May, amen, amen. 44:23 But the story didn't end there; 44:26 there is another half to it that I'll tell you 44:28 tomorrow morning, but for now I'll end it here. 44:34 Having learned the lesson that Jesus is first, 44:39 last and best. And friends if we haven't 44:43 realized that Jesus is better, 44:46 if we haven't realized that Christ is more 44:49 attractive than anything the world has to give, 44:53 we are not prepared to be Christians. 44:57 If Jesus is not more attractive to us 45:01 than the world, we're not ready to be a Christians. 45:07 And Christ himself said this very clearly 45:12 in Luke chapter 14 and verse 33, 45:16 would you turn your Bibles there. 45:19 Now we gonna be using our Bibles a lot, 45:21 a lot these mornings. Very clearly in Luke 14, 45:26 Christ articulates the fact and speaking to us 45:33 about the necessity of counting the cost. 45:41 In Luke chapter 14, are we there, yes, 45:46 in laying down the cost of discipleship 45:50 and when you go back you can read 45:51 the entire chapter, its powerful. 45:54 Read verse 33 Jesus says: So likewise, 46:00 whosoever he be of you that forsaketh 46:05 not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. 46:12 Did Jesus say some or all, he said all, 46:17 right and then underline the word cannot because 46:22 cannot implies impossibility, 46:24 is that right? So if we are not prepared 46:28 to forsake all for Christ sake if need be, 46:32 we cannot be disciples. We can come here to GYC, 46:38 all dressed up looking fabulous, 46:41 praise the Lord for looking good. 46:44 We can come here looking as good as 46:47 we want to look, looking like disciples of Christ. 46:50 But if we have not made up our minds that 46:54 if need be, if need be we'd forsake everything 47:00 for Christ's sake, we cannot be disciple, 47:05 its impossible, it's impossible, 47:11 and part of why its impossible friends 47:14 is because of Christ own example. 47:18 Less we think its too much of a sacrifice 47:22 to leave everything for Christ if need be, 47:25 lets remember Christ himself. 47:30 The Desire of Ages, page 131, 47:33 Ellen White writes this, that Jesus not only 47:37 became an exile from the heavenly courts, 47:42 but for us took the risk of failure 47:45 and eternal loss, for us. He became an exile 47:53 from the heavenly courts and took the risk 47:56 of failure and eternal loss. Do I need to pause 48:03 on that friends, do you know what an 48:06 eternal loss implies, do you what eternal 48:10 loss implies. Jesus had and again the 48:16 balance in his mind the glories of eternity 48:20 on his right hand and on the other 48:23 hand my poor sin sick wretched soul 48:28 and Christ looked at it and said Father 48:31 I would rather save them even if it means 48:34 losing eternity. I would rather save them, 48:38 I would rather save Thando, 48:40 even if it means losing the glories of eternity. 48:46 He scarified eternity for us, 48:49 in His mind we were the better value, 48:53 He valued us over the glories of eternity. 49:00 The adoration of angels, everything he had 49:04 friends he could have lost it all when 49:07 he came down here, do you understand that, 49:10 he could have lost it all. He himself eternal loss 49:16 and failure was the risk, but Jesus said 49:21 I'm willing to take the risk for their sakes 49:24 Father I'm going to take the risk. 49:26 I would rather save them even if it means 49:30 losing eternity, being lost myself. 49:36 And then we have the audacity, 49:39 we've got the foolish audacity to think we can 49:44 choose this world over Christ. 49:48 When Christ choose us over the glories 49:52 of eternity, how dare we, how dare we. 50:02 And I struggle to understand the fact that 50:06 Jesus chose me, he looked down and saw my 50:12 wretched soul and said I would rather have 50:15 Thando than eternity, and now we fail to say 50:21 I would rather have Jesus, what's wrong 50:23 with us friends, what is wrong with us. 50:28 Jesus choose us over eternity how dare 50:33 we not choose him. And look at the contrast 50:37 too we are wretched, poor, naked, blind, 50:40 forsaken and Christ is and Christ is the great I am. 50:47 He chose this poor wretchedness and 50:49 we cannot choose the best, how foolish is that. 50:55 He chose wretchedness saving us and we fail to 51:00 choose the one all together lovely, 51:05 we fail to choose Jesus, how dare we? 51:14 He was willing to lose everything to save us, 51:18 are we willing to lose everything to please him. 51:25 If his sacrifice means anything to us 51:29 the answer must be yes, I'd rather have Jesus 51:34 even if it means losing everything I have, 51:38 even if it means losing Harvard, 51:40 losing my comfort, my convenience whatever, 51:43 I would rather have Jesus, and it becomes a, 51:46 a deeply lived experience. So when push comes 51:51 to serving, you must choose between Christ 51:54 and the job, or Christ in that relationship 51:58 that would take you away from Christ 51:59 the choice must be Christ, because between 52:03 Christ and everything else there is no 52:07 possible compression, he is better, best 52:11 and only, I'd rather have Jesus. 52:17 And friends we need to look full into 52:20 Christ's face, understand the great I am, 52:26 so we can know as Peter knows that 52:28 if we turn from him there is nowhere to turn. 52:34 He is the best and he the only, 52:36 the one who satisfies the deepest longings 52:41 of our souls, He is the only. 52:53 In a speech to students at Cambridge university 52:57 in 1857 David Livingstone, one of my heroes 53:05 personally because his heart for Africa is, 53:09 is a burden that's been in my bones for the 53:13 past couple of years. He said in his speech, 53:18 people talk of a sacrifice I've made in spending 53:24 so much of my life in Africa, 53:29 can that be called a sacrifice which is simply 53:33 paid back as a small part of a great debt 53:38 owing to God, which we can never repay? 53:44 And he ends by saying, I never made a sacrifice, 53:52 I never made a sacrifice. 53:55 All of that time I spent all of the things 53:58 I gave to Christ, I never made, 54:00 it was not even a sacrifice. 54:04 Friends, sacrificing for Christ is no sacrifice, 54:09 if you want to know what sacrifice is look 54:13 at Calvary. Calvary defines sacrifice, 54:19 everything else pales in compression. 54:23 And so David Livingstone could say I never made 54:26 a sacrifice because think about it, 54:29 when you sacrifice you're choosing a greater 54:33 value over a lesser value, right, 54:37 so its not sacrifice, but with Jesus there is 54:41 nothing better you could choose is there, 54:44 so its no sacrifice. I would rather have 54:48 Christ isn't a sacrifice, there is nowhere to turn, 54:57 there is nowhere to turn, and we must be 55:00 prepared to say I would rather have Jesus 55:07 even if it means losing the world. 55:14 Are you prepared to say that this morning, 55:17 is Jesus better, is He better, 55:23 you're not convincing me GYC. Breaking my heart, 55:30 is Jesus better? Yes, amen, not just better 55:35 but best and only. 55:39 There is nothing other than Jesus, 55:42 and if we are not convinced about that 55:44 lets look full into his face. 55:47 See who and what he is and then surely 55:51 meaningfully say I would rather have Jesus. |
Revised 2014-12-17