Okay then, the last couple then, in Joshua 24:26 the cross was the place where Joshua covenanted that they would be the people of God. So the cross, we come and we make commitment; God, I will be Your child. You will be my God, and I will honour You with my life. Now you see selfish ambition has only a very temporary perspective. It's what can I do to get me ahead, whereas covenant relationship with God, I'm looking at eternity. The life is just going to go by real quick, and then there's eternity. I want to build right while I'm building my life; build my marriage right, family right, business right, finances right.
And the last place in Judges 6:11, guess what? Gideon encountered God at the oak tree, and God spoke to him and said, you're not going to be doing this threshing wheat anymore. I have a destiny that's much greater than that. So it was at the place of the cross, surrender to the plan of God, that he discovered what God had for him, and even though he was afraid, he rose, and he touched a whole nation. So the cross is core to the kingdom of God. There's no advance of the kingdom of God without embracing the principle of the cross in our life. There are times when it's wonderful, there are times when we have to come on our knees and just repent.
Now I'll just give you one last thing just to finish up, then we'll just have our time of Communion. Every one of us has to deal with self-centredness. I wish I could help you. I'd love you to come up and I'll pray for you, but it's not going to work, because you'll go back, you'll be just as selfish. It's not going to work that way. It's the principle that runs our life, and it only comes when we come to the cross, so we're going to have Communion in just a moment. Let me give you just a last thing. Most of you would know the Parable of the Talents. Now get this, this is a tremendous insight to the kingdom of God. One of them five, and you notice what he's told; go out and trade. Now notice what he's given - passions, abilities, giftings and God says just go out and make something happen, so God gave him total initiative how to do it. He went and he proffered it, because he wanted to be a blessing to his master. Now notice when he comes back, the master comes back, he said your talents have got this. So in other words he was continually thinking about how he could be productive with what he had.
The one with two did the same thing. Now the one with one, which is the majority of people, did this. He buried the talent, and this is it, listen to this. He buried the talent, because he was looking after himself, and had no heart for the master's interests to go ahead. The master said oh really? Well you're wicked. You have a negative, bad influence. You're very lazy. All you're seeking to do is look out for yourself, and I'll take from you what you had, that opportunity that you had, and it'll be taken from you, given to the one who had five. Now this is a very clear - this is a Parable of the kingdom, that God gives us gifts and talents, He expects us to take lots of initiative, risks and to try things out. But self-centredness will always frustrate us from advancing in the kingdom of heaven, until we actually come to the cross and say God, you gave your life for me. All of my life is in Your hands. I'm trusting You that if I walk with You, and follow Your ways, You in turn will bless every aspect of my life. And even if I don't see it, I still trust You. Amen.
Okay, let's just bring the Communion out now and just set the Communion.
I want us just to open our heart to the Lord. Father, we just thank You. We just take the bread and take the cup right now - thanks very much. Just take the bread, take the cup in your hands. Take the bread and take the cup. Peter said Lord, don't You go to the cross. It's going to mess up all my plans to get ahead. Jesus, don't You go to the cross, it's going to mess up our ministry here and what about all the miracles? Jesus, don't You go to the cross, we've just got a great thing going here. I really don't want You to go to the cross. I don't want You to mess it up for us. Jesus said get behind Me, He said because I know what My Father's called Me to do. The Bible says for the joy ahead of Him, He endured the cross. Most of us we think of the cross, think of something you've got to give up, but Jesus didn't think that. He thought that the joy ahead, I've got blessing out the other side. I've got resurrection life. I've got to a place where I overcome everything, so when He went to the cross it says for the joy that was ahead of Him.