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In this podcast, we share our sermons and teaching from our Sunday Celebrations + some other additional teaching content.
00:08
Priscilla to my Aquila. My wife is going to come this morning and she's going to speak to you for a little while. Thank you. Pamela, are you listening?
00:25
They clap you louder than me.
00:36
Okay, all right, we've been hearing about light and that we are the light, that Jesus is within us and we should shine out. And it's a wonderful truth and thinking about it, there's a story that I love. And what are the problems with us shining out? What can stop us shining out? And this story has got, just sort of helps us think about one area.
01:06
It's called You Are Special.
01:10
If eh those of you who are bit older, you'll understand when I say, are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.
01:21
The Wemmicks were small wooden people. All of the wooden people were carved by a woodworker named Eli. His workshop sat on a hill overlooking their village.
01:35
Each Wemek was different. Some had big noses, others had large eyes. Some were tall and others were short. Some wore hats, others wore coats. But all were made by the same carver and all lived in the village.
01:54
And all day, every day, the Wemmicks did the same thing. They gave each other stickers. Each Wemmick had a box of golden star stickers and a box of grey dot stickers. Up and down the streets, all over the city, people spent their days sticking stars or dots on one another. The pretty ones, with smooth wood and fine paint, always got stars.
02:24
But if the wood was rough or the paint chipped, the whemmocks got dots. The talented ones got stars too. Some could lift big sticks high above their heads or jump over tall boxes. Still others knew big words or could sing pretty songs. Everyone gave them stars.
02:48
Some Wemmicks had stars all over them. Every time they got a star, it made them feel so good. It made them want to do something else and get another star. Others, though, could do little. They got dots. He deserves lots of dots so people would agree with one another. He's not a good person. This was Punchinella.
03:17
He tried to jump high like the others, but he always fell. And when he fell, the others would gather around and give him dots. Sometimes when he fell, his wood got scratched. So the people would give him more dots. And when he tried to explain why he'd fallen, he would say something silly. And the Wemmicks would give him more dots.
03:43
After a while, he had so many dots that he didn't want to go outside. He was afraid he would do something silly, such as forget his hat or step in the water. And then the people would give him another dot. In fact, he had so many gray dots that some people came up and gave him a dot for no reason at all. They'd say, he's not a good wooden person.
04:11
And after a while, Punchinello believed them. I'm not a good Wemmick, he would say. The few times he went outside, he hung around other Wemmicks who also had a lot of dots. And he felt better around them. One day, he met a Wemmick who was unlike Eddie he had ever met. She had no dots or stars. She was just wooded. Her name was Lucia.
04:39
It wasn't that people didn't try to give her stickers, it was just that the stickers didn't stick. Some of the Wemmicks admired Lucia for having no dots, so they'd run up to her and give her a star, but it would fall off. Others looked down on her for having no stars, so they would give her a dot, but that wouldn't stick either. ah That's the way I want to be, Punchinella.
05:08
I don't want anyone's remarks, anyone's marks. So he asked the stickless Wemmick how she did it. Oh, it's easy, Lucia replied. Every day I go and see Eli. Eli? Yes, Eli, the wood carver. I sit in the workshop with him. Why? Why don't you go and find out for yourself?
05:38
Go up the hill, he's there. And with that, the Wemmick, who had no stickers, turned and skipped away. But will he want to see me? But Lucia didn't hear. So Punchinello went home. He sat near a window and watched the wooden people as they scurried around, giving each other stars and dots.
06:04
It's not right, he muttered to himself and he decided to go and see Eli. He walked up the narrow path to the top of the hill and stepped into the big shop. His wooden eyes widened at the size of everything. The stool was as tall as he was. He had to stretch on his tiptoes to see the top of the workbench. A hammer was as long as his arm. ah Punchinello swallowed hard.
06:34
I'm not staying here and he turned to leave. Then he heard his name. Punchinello. The voice was deep and strong. Punchinello stopped. Punchinello, how good it is to see you. Come and let me have a look at you. Punchinello turned and looked at the large bearded craftsman. You know my name?
07:03
the little whemmick asked, of course I do, I made you. Eli stooped down and picked him up and set him on the bench.
07:16
Hmm, the maker spoke thoughtfully as he looked at the grey dots. Looks like you've been given some bad marks. Oh, I didn't mean to, Eli. I really tried hard. Oh, you don't have to defend yourself to me, child. I don't care what the other Wemmicks think. You don't? No.
07:38
And you shouldn't either. Who are they to give stars or dots? They're whemmicks just like you. What they think doesn't matter, Punchinello. All that matters is what I think. And I think you are very special." Punchinello laughed. Me? Special? Why? I can't walk fast. I can't jump. My paint is peeling. Why do I matter to you?
08:05
Eli looked at Punchinello, put his hands on those small wooden shoulders and spoke very slowly. Because you're mine, that's why you matter to me. Punchinello had never had anyone look at him like this, much less his maker. He didn't know what to say.
08:32
Every day I've been hoping you'd come, Eli explained. I came because I met someone who had no mark, said Punchinello. Oh, I know. She told me about you. Why don't the stickers stay on her? The maker spoke softly. Because she has decided that what I think is more important than what they think.
09:01
The stickers only stick if you let them. What? The stickers only stick if they matter to you. The more you trust my love, the less you care about their stickers. I'm not sure I understand. Eli smiled. You will, but it will take time. You've got a lot of marks.
09:25
For now, just come to see me every day and let me remind you how much I care." Eli lifted Punchinello off the bench and set him on the ground. Remember, Eli said as the Wemmick walked out of the door, you are special because I made you and I don't make mistakes.
09:51
Punching aloe didn't stop. But in his heart, he thought, I think he really means it. And when he did, a dot fell to the ground. I love that story. And every time I read it, I choke. It's beautiful. So many of us have been given stickers. We've been given gray dots.
10:18
Mother, father, siblings, teachers, friends, these stickers can stick fast and they have a negative impact on how we see ourselves and it follows that it impacts the way we live. In the story of Punchinello it clearly tells us that the only opinion that really matters is God, our maker, our creator. We make mistakes.
10:48
We mess up from time to time, but when we do, we can deal with it. If necessary, we can confess, repent, and seek forgiveness and receive forgiveness. It's not what people label us to be. We are God's handiwork, fearfully and wonderfully made. His light and life is in us. oh
11:15
oh I had an aunt and uncle, an awful lot of them. In fact, when my mum died, they wanted to adopt me. So their opinion had an effect m with me. And my aunt could be quite negative and any mistake, she would make fun of it. And it did affect me. And one time I did something and...
11:42
they labeled me Dolly Disaster and they thought that was really fun and they didn't mean any harm by it, but it did have an effect and when I started going out with Jeff, he saw the way my aunt talked to me and what she called me and he got cross with me because he said, dare you
12:05
accept this from your aunt. I chose you, I love you and then being negative about you affects on my choice and I'd never thought about it like that and it did change how I was with my aunt and she'd say things and I'd say no that's not right, no I'm not having that.
12:24
And she did start thinking about what she was saying, but she was always negative. But the stickers didn't stick anymore because Jeff's opinion meant more to me than hers. And that's what we can do.
12:44
know, Jess' opinion made something to me. How much more our makers, our creator, God, his opinion, how much more that should matter to us.
12:58
God doesn't make mistakes. We do, but our mistakes, they're just a moment. And don't make that moment a monument. We can get through these mistakes. We can put things right.
13:13
Don't allow people to put stickers on you. Every negative sticker we permit to remain blocks the light of our Maker shining out from us. We talk about, the light of the world, Jesus said, were the light of the world, and the light shines out. Well, with all the stickers we allow to stay, the light's not shining as bright as it should.
13:40
So many Christians live their lives covered in gray dots of other people's Instead of going to their heavenly father, their maker, their creator, and discover what the Lord says about them. God, the one who created you, who formed you, what does he say? He says, I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine.
14:11
Thank you.
14:24
many years ago now. I was on my own, permanent without permanent, she was in night school or something, I was on my own. And I heard that story on the radio being read on my own and I wept. I wept because I related so much to this character, Punchinello, and what God, what Eli says to...
14:53
Punchinello and what God says of me. That I'm special. Not odd, special. That he thinks I'm wonderful.
15:08
And as Pam reads that story to you this morning, I wonder what your reaction is inside. Do you just dismiss it thinking, oh, well, it's OK for other people. It's not OK for me. Do you believe Pam's just trying to be nice? Or do you really believe the message that's contained within that little story? You are special. Don't allow other people's labels to stick to you.
15:40
Don't constantly think of the things that you can't do, but think on the things that you can do. I read a quote, it's supposedly Einstein, I don't believe it was, but somebody said if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it's stupid.
16:04
Don't judge yourself by what you can't do, but by what you can do. And if the label, the negative, destructive labels attached to us stunt our growth, and as Pam said, they prevent his light shining out from us. And believe me, my background, my early experience was a lot of negative labels stuck on me.
16:33
Not good enough, not clever, thick, stupid, uneducated, failure, unloved, unwanted, worthless. I had an uncle who was a bit of a spiv in the Second World War, black market, all that kind of thing. And I was going to be the replacement for my uncle Les. I was a black sheep of the family. And people, that was a label that I carried. So my book coming up...
17:02
through my teens into my early twenties was with all those negative labels stuck upon me. But by the grace of God and the goodness of God and a wonderful lady who spoke life and light into me, those labels began to peel off. You ever bought something from the shop and it's got a sticker on it?
17:26
Vars or something you want on display and it's got a sticker on it and you go to take the sticker off and it doesn't want to come off easy peel is okay, but sometimes they don't easy peel and you spend half the day with your thumb trying to get that last little bit of sticker off We're all like that some way. We're trying to get that last that last bit of sticker offers Because it adheres so strongly to us doesn't it?
17:58
And even when you've got the sticker off, there's always that sticky residue left behind, just waiting to capture the next thing that touches it. And even when we get rid of some of the negatives in our life, take away those things. Isn't it so easy to have one person say one thing to you when the label's stuck back on again?
18:28
Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Is it just me and Pam?
18:36
We need to replace those negative labels by some new labels at what God says about us. God wants to put some labels on us. I don't mind being labeled by God. So here's my labels. My labels now say, I am precious and honored in His sight. Not one person said amen.
19:01
I am, this is speaking of you, I am precious and honored in His sight. I am loved with an everlasting love. I am chosen, holy, and dearly loved. I am redeemed. I am a new creation in Christ. I'm chosen by God. I'm God's masterpiece. I am called out of darkness into His marvelous light. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am more than a conqueror.
19:29
I am free because the Son has set me free. I am healed by His stripes. I have a spirit of power and of love and of self-control within me. I am fearfully and wonderfully made by God. I am crowned with glory and with honor. I am the apple of God's eye. I am...
19:50
part of God's family, God's plans for me are to prosper me. I am a citizen of heaven, I am a child of God. I haven't got any room for any negative stickers. I'm filling myself over with God's stickers. And I've got to choose today who I'm gonna believe. Am I gonna believe the garbage and the rubbish, and there's lots of words I'm use now, but I'm not allowed to, that other people wanna stick on me? Or am gonna believe what God says about me?
20:21
Am I going to believe what God says about me? You choose. You choose.
20:30
And as Pam says, when people speak negatively to you, do not receive it. In fact, tell them why you don't receive it.
20:44
Hello.
20:49
Tell them why you don't receive it. Pam's experience with her aunt was she had to stop her saying those negative things because they were not true. But if you allow people to speak like that, there's a seed planted in you that will, and every seed planted in you will produce a fruit and a harvest. Every seed will produce a fruit, a harvest, a fruit.
21:19
And so do not allow people to speak negatively into you.
21:26
God's labels on us enable us to shine. If we truly believe what God says, I've decided to believe what God says. That was a big decision in my life. You know, let God be true and everybody else be a liar. I have decided to believe that what God says about Jeff Grice is true. Do you believe that about me? Come on, be honest. All right, fabulous.
21:57
Don't you just love me? Am I just not a delightful bloke? I wonder if you can say that. ladies don't say you're a delightful bloke, but don't you just believe that for yourself? That you're a wonderful person, made in the image and the likeness of God, wonderfully, gloriously made, full of power and light and love, redeemed, chosen, all those things.
22:28
When you start believing those things, the little dots will begin to fall off you because the stickers only stick if you let them. He came down into this darkened world.
22:49
to bring light to us, not darkness, to bring victory for us, not defeat. He came to make us rich. He came down to save us from stuff like that that causes us to think badly of ourselves. I look around at this congregation, you look around, they're the weirdest, strangest, oddest.
23:19
most peculiar people you'll ever meet in your whole life. Honestly. The man, and he said this about the church, he said, we should celebrate our weirdness. He was not a Christian man, but this man said, the church needs to celebrate its weirdness. The world comes in and we're all singing in tongues and lifting our hands and doing stuff like we've done this morning, and they'll think we are weird. But you know what?
23:49
We must never allow the culture of this world to dictate what takes place in this place. We are God's peculiar people, some more peculiar than others, I know.
24:04
Wherever I go, I the light of God to shine. And if I go into a room and I just think, well, I'm useless, I'm no good, I'm a loser, I'm just there to make the numbers up, you'll never shine at all. But if you go in and you believe that the love and the life and the power of God is shining out from us.
24:28
So who are you going to believe? How many people feel they've got labels stuck to them they want to get rid of?
24:38
and a whole bunch of people here who don't want to put their hands up because they're shy.
24:45
In the name of Jesus. Father, I pray that every one of those gray dots, those negative labels begins to fall away from each person and instead, Lord, that they might embrace the truth of who they truly are in you. Child of the living God, redeemed, cleansed, holy, righteous, pure in your sight in Jesus. Amen.