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INTRO - DAVE GOBBETT

Good morning and welcome to Sunday Worship from Highfields Church in Cardiff.听 I鈥檓 Dave Gobbett, the Lead Pastor. Bore Da.

The Euros, T20 Cricket World Cup, and the Olympics are delighting sports fans wall-to-wall. Summer festivals鈥攍ike this week鈥檚 Glastonbury鈥攁re entertaining music fans alike.听 And Taylor Swift鈥檚 multi-billion-dollar ERAs tour is sweeping the nation.听 So today we鈥檙e thinking about true success and where it can be found.听

Of course, success can look different for different people, and so, we鈥檒l be hearing from various members of our own church congregation who share their own stories and reflections.

We鈥檒l spend some time in prayer, we鈥檒l listen to and reflect on God鈥檚 word, and we鈥檒l sing God鈥檚 praises accompanied by our very own Highfields orchestra.

But first, some words from Psalm 105. In a world that draws our eyes to things that sparkle and shine鈥攖hat endless allure of success and achievement鈥攖he Psalmist recalibrates our gaze towards God above.听

Reading 1: Psalm 105:1-4 鈥� BISRAT听听

Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;make known among the nations what he has done.2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;tell of all his wonderful acts.3 Glory in his holy name;let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.4 Look to the LORD and his strength;seek his face always.

Our opening hymn, written by 19th Century by Baptist pastor, William Gadsby, and beloved by many within Evangelical Churches in Wales invites us to look to the Lord, to seek his face, and to find in him everything that our hearts desire; Immortal honours rest on Jesus鈥� head.

Song 1: Immortal Honours Rest on Jesus鈥� Head听

Dave Gobbett

Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, we praise you for your beauty, your majesty, your love.We marvel at your interest in our lives, your provision of our needs, your protection of our souls. While so much would vie for our attention Lord Jesus, thank you for winning our trust and devotion by your death in our place, your resurrection to eternal life, and your offer of forgiveness and friendship for evermore.听 听

Please draw near to us today by your Spirit and may we discover the source of true success.听 For your name鈥檚 sake, Amen.

颁翱狈痴贰搁厂础罢滨翱狈听DG - INTRO

What does it mean to pursue achievement and success as a Christian?听Is pursuing success even allowed as a Christian?!听听And what difference does knowing Jesus Christ make when things go well, as well as when they don鈥檛? What does true success look like?听听Let鈥檚 meet some members of the Highfields Church family to hear their stories to help us unpack what success might be like.听

PRE-RECORDED PACKAGE 鈥� CONVERSATION WITH MATTHEW FEATHERSTONE, KEZRINA JAMES, CAT TURNER 鈥� A MUSICIAN, ACTRESS AND RUGBY PLAYER.
UNDERSCORED BY Yet Not I but Christ Through Me (High Key - Eb) Primotrax Worship听

Song 2: Yet Not I But Christ In Me

顿骋听

Our second Scripture reading is taken from Colossians 3, which Matthew quoted from a moment ago. The Apostle Paul is urging his readers to allow the good news of Jesus鈥檚 death and resurrection to affect every area of their lives鈥攊ncluding how they think about work.


Bible Reading: Colossians 3:1-4; 3:22-4:1 鈥� MAGS MOSS听

3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

22 Servants, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favouritism.听

4:1 Masters, provide your servants with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

TALK PART 1 鈥� 鈥楾HE AUDIENCE OF ONE鈥櫶�

A chef, a toymaker, and a professional snooker player. No, they don鈥檛 walk into a bar, and it鈥檚 not the opening line to a joke. But rather a small selection of the many things I wanted to be when I grew up. Playing for West Ham probably also figured. I don鈥檛 remember 鈥渃hurch pastor鈥� making the shortlist, but God has a funny way of surprising us. I鈥檓 sure I now have what feels like the best job in the world.

Today we鈥檙e thinking about true success, and where it can be found.听 Ambition is not wrong. It鈥檚 not wrong to aspire for success鈥攚hether in a career, or a hobby, in sport, music or other creative endeavours鈥攐r even just personally in our lives and in those of our nearest and dearest. It鈥檚 a natural part of being human. Being made in God鈥檚 image to steward his world as best as we can.听

But as we鈥檝e heard from Cat, Matthew and Kezrina, who we are is more important than what we do. 鈥榃hatever you do,鈥� said the Apostle Paul in our reading, 鈥榳ork at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters 鈥� It is the Lord Christ you are serving.鈥櫶�

It鈥檚 that deep heart attitude, underneath any passing achievements we may or may not attain, that matters most.听

It鈥檚 the knowledge that my work, my successes, and yes鈥攅ven my failures鈥攄on鈥檛 define me. We might be playing rugby in Wales鈥檚 Principality Stadium or playing the flute at the Last Night of the Proms or performing in the West End鈥攐r more likely, none of those things!鈥� but ultimately, these are not where our identity is found or our future secured.

And for Christians, it鈥檚 being able to say, 鈥楬owever life unfolds, I鈥檓 fundamentally serving an audience of One鈥攖he Lord Jesus Christ鈥攖he one who loved me so much to die for my sins and rise again to give me new life with him鈥攁nd his is the only opinion that really counts.鈥橲omeone who really wrestled with this is Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin. For many of their fans and onlookers, Coldplay might seem the very epitome of the successful and the secure. But the COVID Lockdowns of 2020 & 21 forced Chris Martin to confront and re-evaluate his relationship with fame.

鈥淟ast year was quite an eye-opener鈥�, he told 鲍鱼tv Radio 2. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥榃ho am I without Wembley stadium saying you鈥檙e awesome?鈥� I鈥檓 trying in my life right now to not attach too much to being a pop star. I鈥檓 trying not to get my self-worth from external validation.鈥漈here鈥檚 a real honesty, and vulnerability, in what Chris Martin is saying. And maybe we can relate. 鈥榃ho am I without other people saying you鈥檙e awesome?鈥� 鈥榃ho am I without the external validation of other people鈥檚 approval, their smile, their praise?鈥�

I just wonder: in the rat race that is 21st century life, does the pursuit of true success and lasting security need to be quite as elusive? Perhaps we need to look afresh to the one above it all, and to the liberation of knowing that 鈥榓udience of One鈥�, or to use the language of our next song: 鈥楳y God, the Ancient of Days鈥�.

Song 3: Ancient of Days

INTERVIEW WITH ROGER HAMPTON

We鈥檙e going to meet someone else from Highfields Church who鈥檚 had to wrestle with what true success looks like.听

A conversation with Roger Hampton - Roger served in the army, as a police officer, and has been a hugely active sports fan throughout his life. But things took a surprising turn soon after he retired, when confronted with a Parkinson鈥檚 diagnosis.听 But he has approached the challenge with positivity, embraced new opportunities and has found strength in Jesus.听

TALK 2 鈥� 鈥楬EAVEN鈥橲 PERSPECTIVE鈥櫶�

鈥楾hat person is so heavenly minded, they鈥檙e no earthly use.鈥� Ever heard that expression? I certainly understand the sentiment. Someone who鈥檚 so taken up with other-worldly concerns, they disengage with real-world responsibilities in front of their eyes. That can鈥檛 be the right response to a physically embodied and physically resurrected Jesus Christ. A Jesus who came and lived and ministered in this real-world of ours.听

But let鈥檚 not pretend it鈥檚 not equally possible鈥攊ndeed far more likely鈥攖o fall off the horse in the opposite direction.

To be so occupied by 鈥榚arthly things鈥欌�攚hether we鈥檙e talking about pursuing our ambitions, or simply getting through the day in one piece鈥攖hat any eternal perspective gets crowded out.

We鈥檝e been thinking about true success and where it can be found.听 In his New Testament letter to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul spells out how revolutionary heavenly thinking could be.

鈥楽ince you have been raised with Christ,鈥� he writes, 鈥榮et your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.鈥�

Paul鈥檚 logic is simple: just as Jesus Christ died and rose again, so all who have turned from self and are trusting in him in a sense have died and risen again too. They鈥檝e died to their old habits of self-obsession and self-promotion as the only things that matter, in order to live brand-new, resurrection lives, of love, purpose and security.听

New resurrection lives that start now and go on for eternity beyond the grave.

For (says Paul), 鈥榃hen Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.鈥�

It鈥檚 the reality of this new resurrection life that lies behind Roger鈥檚 confidence to face his Parkinson鈥檚 diagnosis with such irrepressible verve. When this world is all we have, and any success in it is solely down to us and our greatness, then when disaster strikes, or even when things just don鈥檛 go as planned or hoped or dreamed, our very identity can be rocked to the core.听

But if we realise that true, ultimate success in life can be found in what Christ has already achieved for us鈥攁n invitation to forgiveness and friendship forevermore, to resurrection life starting now and going on into eternity鈥攖hen all our earthly ambitions will stay in healthy proportion.听

The gospel gives us the power and the motivation to love and to serve, to bless, and yes, even to aspire. Not for what those things give us in return; but because we know we鈥檙e not leveraging them for external validation anymore. Christ鈥檚 free offer of resurrection life鈥� love, purpose & security 鈥攈as got there first. And wonderfully that offer still holds today.And so yes, we can still throw ourselves into study or career or sport or music or drama 鈥� or being the best parent, child, spouse or friend we can possibly be.听

But we can go to sleep at night knowing that none of those things were designed to define our identity or secure our future for us. That job is already taken. Our identity is听 鈥� first and last - in Jesus Christ.

And so we鈥檙e invited to sing:听I will glory in my Redeemer,听my life he bought, my love he owns.

Song 4. I Will Glory In My Redeemer

Prayers: Jon Reeves听

Let us pray.

Sovereign Lord, we thank you that you are someone we cannot exaggerate. We may exaggerate about ourselves, our achievements, our successes, our experiences, even the food we eat. And yet when it comes to you, it is impossible to overstate your majesty, your power, and the unsearchable riches of your gospel of grace.听

Thank you that, in Jesus, our work, our performance, our successes, even our failures don鈥檛 define us. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for what you鈥檝e achieved for us already, in dying for our sins & rising to offer new, resurrection life. Thank you that in a world of competition and confusion, you offer to define our identity and secure our future. Help us we pray to be so heavenly minded that we will be the most earthly good.

Lord as we look around at our world, we see such trouble and brokenness, and the solutions seem insurmountable to us. But although many of these things feel out of our hands, they are not out of yours, and so we ask you to give wisdom to our world leaders in bringing peace. We pray that they would exercise the power you have given them with integrity, self-sacrifice and courage to do what is right.听

We pray for our own country and leaders as we prepare for a general election. And as differing viewpoints and manifestos are expressed, please grant us the ability to listen well and to choose widely.

We thank you for this summer of sport and lift all the athletes that are competing at the Olympics, the Paralympics and in the Euros in prayer to you.听

We pray that these events really will be a celebration of sport and of countries coming together.听

Grant those who are Christians, opportunities to share Jesus and show through their lives, the greater prize to live for.听

And finally Lord, help us to build our lives, our confidence and our hope on things above for our lives are now hidden with Christ in God.听

We ask all these prayers in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray:听

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever, Amen.

顿骋听We鈥檙e going to conclude our Sunday Worship together by lifting our eyes to the victory won for us by Jesus Christ on the cross. In him our identity is secure, our future guaranteed. In the anthemic words of Charles Wesley: 鈥楾he grand and full atonement made, God for a guilty world has died.鈥櫶�

Song 5: Yes, Finished The Messiah Dies听

DG

The Lord bless youand keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.Amen.

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