Thank you for joining Reverend Ben Cooper & Simon Pinchbeck for #ChristianStraightTalk - our weekly podcast and the title of this weeks, is the Fathers story .
Thank you for joining Reverend Ben Cooper & Simon Pinchbeck for #ChristianStraightTalk - our weekly podcast and the title of this weeks, is the Fathers story .
God bless we are in #Christian Straight Talk wherever you are across this earth that God had created. You are living in end times. We are seeing governments fall, we are seeing the puppets get tangled in their words. We are seeing leaders of the world just collapsing. But the kingdom of God is on fire. Are you for Jesus or your for the monkeys and the Muppets that are out there? This no holds barred anymore is that I feel quite bold today. Freedom you got freedom when the sun sets free,
Simon Pinchbeck:is free. And it's great to be back with you.# Christian straight
Reverend Ben Cooper:We are in.
Simon Pinchbeck:We're across the mics. And today Ben we're going to talk about we talked last week we talked about what we talked about the father's story, didn't we because we were on this journey with about the all about a crossroad and and we talked about the Father story last week and and really, we're going to talk about the father's heart today. You know, and it's a it's a subject that many people get a little bit mixed up with because they don't. He says in Jeremiah 2911 You know the plans you have for Jeremiah 2913 says you will find me if you seek we will all your heart Well, if you seek a father with all your your heart for His Son, Jesus Christ, you'll find out that the Father is has got such a loving such a forgiving heart. And he's got the heart that that really only wants you to be the man or woman and he made sure to be gentle. And we shouldn't miss the Father's heart because it's it really is the most important part of our journey knowing that we have a Father God who truly loves us and embraces us, but wants us to go out there and have a go for His Son Jesus and advance his kingdom. But one of the one of the greatest stories in the Bible that really shows us the Father's heart because Jesus loves to tell a story. Dont he Ben,
Reverend Ben Cooper:oh, dear May I thought I could chat. Low you can you can really rattle off some stories of Jesus. Yeah. Will
Simon Pinchbeck:you talk a lot about
Reverend Ben Cooper:wrong stuff? It talks about proper things. Yeah. Jesus talked, just ramble and talk about, I'm just full of hot air.
Simon Pinchbeck:But Jesus got to the point didn't end. One of the great stories that he spoke about is the story in Luke 1511 to 32. About a prodigal son Ben.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, I love that. I love that. You know what? I'm finding that when we know who we are in Christ identity that I am a protocol. I'm like a Yo yo, protocol, son. And the father never rejects me.
Simon Pinchbeck:Never rejection.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Never. Never, there's never going to be a rejection.
Simon Pinchbeck:Because what's that great verse that you love to tell us on a regular basis. Romans five, eight, Ben, we're all have sinned and fallen short of your glory. Now that while we were still our Yes, sorry,
Reverend Ben Cooper:yeah, while we were still sinners,
Simon Pinchbeck:Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Now. That is a continuum, because we are living in a fallen state. As we said, off air, you know, I really believe and I think we're coming to a point of realizing that we are living in End Times as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be so there's going to be a lot of protocols. And it's not so much to say that we're going to act in and we're doing the act, but the thinking and the strain on the human mind. And just trying to be a believer, whether we're man or woman because there's only two genders. Believe it or not, there's only two of us there's not, you know, being a being a man or a woman for Christ is going to be the hardest thing we've ever done in our lives. Because we are faced with every challenge, every temptation, every fear, that is common to man. So the protocol, we will start to hear stories of protocols coming back to the Father
Simon Pinchbeck:and Ben is to deal with the with the enemy that's out there. They, you know, the enemy is happy with you finding forgiveness, and he's happy with you maybe confessing your stuff and yeah, yeah. And even coming back to the Father, not the prodigal when we'll go through the story of the prodigal son. But, but what he wants on top of that he wants, he wants to have a second part of charity, he wants to put guilt on top of it done. And he wants to so yeah, so he wants you to,
Reverend Ben Cooper:and not the guilt. And not the guilt, I would say regarding of the Act in what you've done. The guilt in
Simon Pinchbeck:keeping it quiet. The guilt and keeping it
Reverend Ben Cooper:quiet. And my head is a dangerous
Simon Pinchbeck:place. It's a massive, it's a massive thing. So this will the guilt, under condemnation, even even though people are Christian, this is going to keep them from coming back to the Lord in it.
Reverend Ben Cooper:And it's a lie. It's a lie, because the father cannot reject. This is what this is what is so difficult for the church to grasp. There is nothing new under the sun. There is nothing too big and too vast and too vile for salvation and for redemption to come upon it. When you look at the power of redemption and salvation, redemption, we have been rescued, we have been saved. You know, we have been bought with a price and the story of the prodigal son, he was in the Father's house the Father's plan, under the feathers. He was in Psalm 91 II was in the Father's will. This is my son. I love my son. But dad, i want to go and sleep with a prostitute. Dad, give me all the money. Dad, im going wild living- here son, the money. Yeah, and don't want to live the dream, Lord, I want to the grass is greener. God won't stop you
Simon Pinchbeck:know, because it does say in the Bible that, you know, the Lord will hand you over to your desires. It says that so you'll be handed over. So if that's what you want, if that's what you want, if that's the desire of your heart,
Reverend Ben Cooper:if you are hungry for that lust, if you are hungry for money, if you are hungry for notoriety, what you are hungry for it will be on your dining room table.
Simon Pinchbeck:In
Reverend Ben Cooper:the honor, you can put all the sauce on that you like you can indulge yourself because that's what the enemy wants, and come and indulge yourself.
Simon Pinchbeck:But the father saying when you've done all that stuff, he's saying there's a way back. There's a way back.
Reverend Ben Cooper:But isn't it interesting religion won't let you in the door? If it really no. In my Father's house, well many room I'm going to prepare a place but Lord, I'm a sinful man. But my love is so strong for you might the Father's heart is so big, so wide. Unconditional love But Lord, I've sinned Lord, I've I'm a gambler, Lord, I love drinking. I love Fridays I love party. No, Lord, I love women. I love I love I love I love I love I love I love you more. I know your character but Lord I love spending money. Lord, I love shopping Lord, I love having the latest gadgets Lord, I love people pat me on the back Lord, I love people strengthening my ego. I love you more than all that
Simon Pinchbeck:I'd be more than all that.
Reverend Ben Cooper:I love you more than all that
Simon Pinchbeck:well, it's yeah, it's the end of the thing with it is that like the the triple whammy it's you know, we get the thought. Then we get the action. And then it's the guilt in it that really gets older people and stops them coming back from to the Lord. But one John one nine says it says If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and listen to this to cleanses from all unrighteousness
Reverend Ben Cooper:Wow. So unrighteousness so
Simon Pinchbeck:we ask God for forgiveness. If you truly got a repentant heart, you will get forgiven. Now here's the deal with that. The Firebird end doesn't want you to go fishing around for that sin because it's gone. It's gone. It's done. He doesn't want you to but we in our flesh want to feel we feel guilty. You know I did that and now it's gone. It's gone. It's gone. It's been wiped. The slate is wiped clean.
Reverend Ben Cooper:So in in God's in biblical terminology. When it says you sins are wiped away. They are wiped away. But my memory and my thinking is the stuff that does the damage. Because I'm thinking and churning out, does God really forgive me as God forgiven me of that action of that thought, unforgiveness, pride of life, the lust of the flesh to the arrogance, all that it was now to the cross of Calvary.
Simon Pinchbeck:And so. So that follows on to another, that leads on to another, another sin, Ben, which is unbelief. So, yes, if we don't believe and trust that the father was forgiveness, then the father's same, but I'm telling you, it's
Reverend Ben Cooper:gone. Ben. isn't gone, sister, it's gone, brother. It's gone.
Simon Pinchbeck:Listen to the story of the prodigal son read it a couple of times, because the father when he sees come coming out, he ran to him, Ben didn't You didn't make him get on his knees and yet, whip him or anything like that? No, his arms are there for forgiveness.
Reverend Ben Cooper:And the sun in verse 17 says, And when he come to his senses, sometimes it just takes a moment to come to your senses, your perception, your understanding your logic, hang on a minute, of acting and not done, I thought wrong. It says when the son come to his senses, he says, How many of my father's hands and the servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death. I will sit out and I will go back to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants. So he got up and he went back to his father. But while what Simon said in verse 20, but while he was still a long way off, that almost brings me to tears. I'm still a long way off from the Father. I can't see the father. I can't touch the father. His father saw him and he was filled with compassion for him and he ran to his son, throwing his arms around him and kissed him. Where's this young bloke just come from? He's come from the pigsty. He was smelly. He was filthy. He had slept with goodness knows what he had spent all his money. He'd been drinking. The brother said, You're welcome him back. And he's been wild living. But that Do you know what he's been up to? The father said stop. This is my son.
Simon Pinchbeck:So that brings us on to another sort of angle here done it so the father doesn't want us to start being judgmental on other people Desi,
Reverend Ben Cooper:very interesting. Simon, you've, you've cracked a drum on St. There you've hit saying very heavy. So okay, I fallen. I make it very publicly clear. And then I'll get the religious monotony going. He's a sinner. He's made a mistake. He's not living right.
Simon Pinchbeck:What you you've got him in your church, he out surely
Reverend Ben Cooper:they are in your they are. You are allowing to you know, where they have come from. And the father says, don't get the best robe. This is my son. The Father's heart is bigger than any soul or religious person in your life. Let's let's be really opened this morning. We've got plenty of souls. And we've got plenty of judgmental people around us. Even in the marital bed. Even in our family's life, even in the workplace, every one of us will be able to go and may not be strong enough to say Yeah, actually I can pinpoint it vocally vote vote through vocabulary, loud and clear. But in your heart in my heart, we know that around us. We have people like this man's brother. That is always trying to condemn us for our past.
Simon Pinchbeck:Oh, yeah. No, no. The show the sharks all around us.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Bad. Scripture says Yeah. Watch out for the dogs, the mutilated of the flesh. Lord, where are they going to be? They're going to be on the other side of the world. No, hang on. The dogs. The mutilator the flesh. The brother, the sister, the husband, the wife, the friend, the colleague, the boss. Watch out. Watch out. How can you say that? Well, even if we went to the story of Joseph brothers. That's give me a dream. He's give me this coat. Look what I got. I Yeah, we hate you.
Simon Pinchbeck:On that you will be surrounded by surrounded, you will be surrounded by people. And and here's the thing if if you if you're new in the faith or if you're carrying on in the faith, you're gonna get people that want to pull you back into the world and remind you and remind you that he was
Reverend Ben Cooper:a great sinner. You was Yeah, using using the top 10 You've done really well. He was a nasty character. Do you know what you done? 25? Do you know what you was? 15? Do you know how you treated me? Do you know?
Simon Pinchbeck:Yeah, you you you can never. You can never run fast enough to outlive your past. Can you know that's why the Bible tells us we have to be a new creation being
Reverend Ben Cooper:the father recognizes we are a new creation. Yes, Christ recognizes because he wiped at the cross. That's it, but the religious might the religious order, the ones that will never forgive a world that won't let you forget. So we're always going to have someone waving a flag of my history. They're always going to be sending them into tax and reminded me they're always going to be the end of the phone. Do you remember? You said you done you? What about Yeah, okay. Do you know what we apologize more to people around us than we actually do to Jesus?
Simon Pinchbeck:And there's the thing if, if we, if we go down that road, the judgmental, then we're almost ignoring what Jesus did on the cross
Reverend Ben Cooper:100% for exactly
Simon Pinchbeck:because he died on the cross to take away those sins. Now if I've, if I've got down on my knees and confessed and repented of that stuff, gone, Simon is gone. It's fun, isn't it? Now, I'm not going to live a righteous life. You know, every day in my life, I'm going to fall back, I'm going to fall back. But there's forgiveness still for you isn't there generally. So the guilt a lot of people this is where not reading and understanding. The Word of God comes in because a lot of people will still live under condemnation, where it says in Romans eight one, Ben, you know, for those in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation that God's non condemning here. I see it so many times with I do do some stuff. They call it bolding. Calibri, do some stuff with small groups of men. And you see so many times that men, Christian men, you know, men of faith, allegedly, I've lived all their lives under a condemnation that and it's so sad because you don't have to, because if
Reverend Ben Cooper:I live under the cross, you live under the cross is gone, it's gone, who the sun sets free is free indeed, it's gone. So it's not to not to say that I'm not going to sin because all have sinned and fallen short with glory. But what we find as men and women as believers in Christ that we are being our past has been regurgitated by some of our loved ones are friends, certain areas of life, certain places, we work certain certain pieces of music, certain places that we might go people around, you are the ones that regurgitate the staff. So we're Christ now that to the cross, and it went and it was now it was finished. Many many are surrounded with people that just want to literally bring up yesterday bringing it up to the froth bringing it back up. Because they're the ones with the trouble because they can't forgive. So you're you're entering into a big conversation and yeah,
Simon Pinchbeck:there's two two parts so they can't forgive and some or sometimes they don't want to see you living a life they don't want to see you be free. I don't want to see you live in this free that free life. I want to keep you down is it it's a bit like you know, in the Hindu society in in, in India, they they have like a caste system so if your name yes, nine you're never gonna get but any IRI or general but we would
Reverend Ben Cooper:be a one law right so that the bottom in a tree Cooper cake making the
Simon Pinchbeck:flow. Whopper shoes are gonna walk over the fingers in this freedom in Christ in there.
Reverend Ben Cooper:What a beautiful word. Freedom and Jesus there's freedom in Jesus. Yeah. And this is what this story is about the prodigal son there's freedom in the Father's heart. But the son the The sun if brava was rinsing him, Dad, what are you doing? What are you doing? Do you know what what Billy done? Do you know? Do you know where he's been? Do you know what he's been Dad, I'm going to tell you saying about your son. I'm going to tell you saying, Get the best food. Get the best ring. My son's come home, there is more power in a son coming home than a religious organization or someone in your life barking up and down. And I will you'd come back to Scripture because that's what I've got to watch out for the dogs, the mutilated of the flesh, because the mutilated that the flesh wants to tear you down yesterday and they want to condemn you and make you feel bad. It's
Simon Pinchbeck:this is Jesus says it in in the Bible. I can't refer to where he said it but he says it to the religious leaders. You travel under the mouse yes to convert someone and then you then you pile a lot of stuff on them delegates Jesus's so we like give you like a free a donkey and then you put a load of pack. So it's a little pack donkey and he's trying to struggle with all these rules, regulations condemnations, but the Bible but Paul says it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. He says exactly relations. Yeah,
Reverend Ben Cooper:yeah. So each and every one of us is free in Christ Jesus. The world will try and all condemnation over your family, your brother, your sister, your friend, your brother, your uncle, your aunt, your mom, your dad, your wife, your husband, your work colleagues, whoever wherever, wherever they will, you will always find in layers of life. People that are like this character, the protocol sons brother, the protocol, son, brother, was trying to do more damage than what the sun actually done because the sun was forgiven, and the slate was cleansed and wiped. And you know what is so powerful love never fails. Verse four of one Corinthians chapter 13. Love is patient. Love is kind it does not envy it does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self seeking and is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. That's Jesus. The rungs on are not recorded.
Simon Pinchbeck:They're not. They're not recorded now.
Reverend Ben Cooper:So there's no record of my past. When you think about that, God cannot remind me of my past. Why? Because if he did one sacrifice once and for all, it would be bring him back. Well, I got gotta be careful not to go too deep, theologically. And we. So if God kept if God kept reminded me, it will wipe out across the Calvary.
Simon Pinchbeck:Yeah, totally. Because there's, then there would be no forgiveness would we would know where there'd be no cause, you know, and when. If the father condemned you, you know about it, when you're gentle, you will be saying he'd be wiped
Reverend Ben Cooper:off the face of the earth.
Simon Pinchbeck:So the process is a very simple process, isn't it, Jesus died, sin, a sin less, a sinless sacrifice on that cross died once and for all. Because the Father's heart is for everyone to come back.
Reverend Ben Cooper:The Father's heart is unconditionally full of love. Come back to him. And everyone is a practical
Simon Pinchbeck:and everyone is a product. Everyone has to come back to him. How do we come back to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, who died once and for all, and rose again. So the whole world is redeemed, the whole the price has been paid for the whole world. Oh was not saved, but the whole world is redeemed. So when we go to Jesus and say, I've messed up again, forgive me. Jesus forgives us. And then it goes. And then when that when the enemy runs up to the Father and goes, Hey, listen, did you see what Ben did? And Ben looks and the father looks to Jesus and goes, Oh, crap, what they've been do, and Jesus looks and Ben and goes, it's been it's been cleared, it's been wiped clean, this slate clean. And the father just looks at Ben and see Jesus. He sees his son. It sees his son is living inside and this, that sin has been erased. In fact, he's been putting the deepest GPS doesn't want us gone a lot of fishing boats fishing. Up No, no, it's gone.
Reverend Ben Cooper:As many, many people have got fishermen around their life dragging up trawling up old nets that have been buried and pushed down. But who The sun sets free is free indeed. And the fact the father and his product of the Father's heart is so strong and so powerful. The Father's heart is so so powerful that he gave his son
Simon Pinchbeck:a sin that is paid in full. He gave his son and his son has been given as the only way that this could have. So the
Reverend Ben Cooper:Father's arms are always open. The father is always welcoming. The father is always looking, the father is always running. Isn't it interesting that the father runs to the son before the son could recognize the journey where he was this, the father runs to him and wrapped his arms around him. Pat is just so powerful that the father sees us before we see the Father. That is salvation all over. Salvation comes before we recognize what salvation is, before my understanding, can articulate and work that out. When he comes to his senses. It says that son said, Do you know what I'm going to go back to my dad's, I'm gonna, I'm gonna cut back one if he loves me, wonderful. Let me in.
Simon Pinchbeck:So I don't know where you are out there at the moment. Listen to this. And you know, if you're one of the protocols that are that have been away from the Lord, and you want to come back and your face is in the dirt, you're on this in the slimy pit, you can't get no lower, you can't get lower or you just feel so far away from God. If you feel so far away from God today, you know, you're in a good place you in a great place, because I really feel for you. And we really feel for you. And we have a percent but what we're going to swap besides your day is the father saying it's time to come home son.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah. And what?
Simon Pinchbeck:It's a moment in it. It's a moment but it because it's time to come home,
Reverend Ben Cooper:it's time to come home for so many of us. And I'm always coming on. Every day. I'm always on a journey of coming home dad. I'm coming home. It says there. And first 20 I've got to read disarmament first. But while he was still a long way off, that is a real powerful text. While he was still a long way off. His father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son he threw his arms around him and kissed him. And his son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven against you are no longer to be worthy to be called your son. The father said to the servants, quack, bring the robe and put it on him. Put that ring on his finger sandals on his feet, bring the fatted calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead. I was a son when I was dead. The Bible says that. But he says for this son of mine was dead. And he is alive again. He was lost. And now he's found. So even though I am a born again believer in Christ, I will always go down the protocol sunroute. But I will always come back to the Father. And the father will never reject me. While I'm still I'm a long way off, do you realize how far I'm off on this journey of coming back to the Father. But while I'm walking, he's running. While I'm a long way off, he's in sprint mode.
Simon Pinchbeck:And what I'd say Ben is that when we reach the Father's arms, don't go too far away from him stay close by and the rat the rat and remind the father of his words. He said he never leave you or forsake you and that frightens me to that crawl. But if you're out there this morning, and you know any of this is landing where you are if you're far away from God, if you're down in the dirt if you're if you're involved in stuff, you know, the father's saying, Come back, come home,
Reverend Ben Cooper:come home, come home,
Simon Pinchbeck:if you're down in pigs, 12 you're doing whatever you're doing. The father's saying, You're never so far away from me that you can't come back
Reverend Ben Cooper:and church leaders, brothers sisters, the Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of that glory. So we're all sinners saved by grace. There's only one righteous one. I could I could almost put myself in the position of always been on the protocol road because of thinking because of attitude. Things before us things around us. But there's the sun is always, always welcome. The sun cannot be rejected. The song cannot be turned away. The son has to be forgiven because of the cross of Calvary.
Simon Pinchbeck:And I think we've spoken about it many times. But I think we're almost in that perpetual situation of our own garden of Gethsemane, aren't we, you know, where we've saved father, you know, I'm not worthy to receive you, and not my will, but Your will be done. And when we're in that attitude, it's an attitude of, of, or of the Father, it's an issue, recognizing who the father is, recognizing that we have access to Him for His Son, Jesus Christ. When we're in that attitude, then the Father's arms are not far away from us. When we drift, we can easily and we can, the mind can drift. And what happens in the in the mind, then comes into action if you're not careful, and you can start drifting away from the Lord very easily. You know, we've all been in those places. And we, even when we start, really, even if we think we're doing what the Father wants us to do in ministry, and all that sort of stuff, but we're not giving time to the Father, we're not given that, that one to one time, and we drift away. We're drifting away, we're drifting away, and suddenly, we're running on empty. On the father's side, Sam, is Tom couldn't stand to come back to me,
Reverend Ben Cooper:because it's an easy scripture to forget. Without faith, it's impossible to please God. So our might not be acting in a sinful, physical, but without faith, have done an action
Simon Pinchbeck:to turn an action. Yeah. So. So you're wandering around in a mess, you might have all the titles,
Reverend Ben Cooper:you might have everything going for you, you haven't committed a physical thing, you haven't walked down that pathway, but you're drifting away from the Father, because you're building a name for yourself, and you've drifted from the Father, not the father has drifted from us, because that never happens. But we drift from the Father. And that is not through moral failure that is not through temptation. That is not always through them things we can drift in ministry, because we are building a tower of Babel. Oh, wow. And the scripture says, God said, we are going down there because they are building a name for themselves.
Simon Pinchbeck:So that I think that's spoken to a few people this morning Benny should if he hasn't, it should do but Genesis
Reverend Ben Cooper:the book of Genesis should do if I'm building a name for myself.
Simon Pinchbeck:And as the protocol, where's the where's the way back to the Father? It's through Son Jesus Christ. I am the Way the Truth, the life, we owe Jesus everything. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Reverend Ben Cooper:I think, as Simon mentioned, the Garden of Gethsemane and it's been dropped in my spirit. I'm, I'm happy enough to say that i Yo Yo from both. i Yo yo, I bounced in the garden. And then a yo yo back to a protocol. I'm in a backwards and forwards left, right and center. But what we got to remember is a practical, knows that he's done wrong. It's when I don't know that I've done wrong. That I mean, I'm in more trouble than I realize. When I'm in a garden, I'm saying what you have for me, I need you to guide me because I cannot go in my own strength. So when you go from the garden to the pigsty, because that's real life. life that you live in in the UK at the moment is I'm living in a field of pigs squalor everywhere and I'm not referring to scholar as in muck around my feet on the scholar, the mess of society. The mess of politics, the mess of church. There is it is there is a mess around us. So we're always yo yoing you know we're trying to live right we're trying to walk right we're trot we're really trying. And we know that through the trial brings us closer to God. Holiness, when you think be holy, because I am holy. What cutter I'm far from that. But I realized I'm far from that. And I'm not frightened to to admit to anyone on the retched of a sinful man, but I'm saved by grace. I'm lost but I'm found. I'm saved. But I'm wobbly. I'm a son and grafted in. But I still a human being. I still got a walk in the skip of the UK. I've still got to work in this skip. I still got to walk across this earth with all attempts. Patients come in our lives, like trains.
Simon Pinchbeck:So the Father's heart, a father's heart is, is more massive, more bigger, more than what anyone can ever come and save of in a man you get that you can't, you just can't get there. But the way back to the Father is through through the sun. And, and the Father's heart is it says in the Bible, you know, as far as it is that no one should perish in in and to Peter free and is is that is an all should come back to repentance Well, well, once we've done that the father wants as not, he wants us to be strong in him in Christ, He wants us to be strong in Christ. That's, that's what that scripture meant, you know, Philippians 413. You know, I can do all things through Christ. That's so to go out, and to do the five as well, which is to advance the kingdom and have a go for Jesus.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Without take the Father's heart, take the Father's
Simon Pinchbeck:heart to to the to the world and let people see David.
Reverend Ben Cooper:David had a heart after God, the Father's heart. Father's heart is a place of forgiveness. It's a place of justification. It's a place of hope. It's a place of redemption. The Father's heart is a place of safety. The Father's heart is God. God is nothing greater. There's no other feeling.
Simon Pinchbeck:And you've done what you said there is, is very, very insightful and impactful. Ben, you said, take the Father's heart into the world. That's what you said. And that's where, once we've,
Reverend Ben Cooper:it's so so what is a father's heart? It's
Simon Pinchbeck:It's like your own son or daughter. Yeah, you're forgiven you, you wrap or your grandkids, you
Reverend Ben Cooper:wrapped him you wrapped Psalm 91, whoever lives
Simon Pinchbeck:but then they can't stay in there. You got to go out and make their own way ever know. So for us, the fire was always at the back of as Jesus's insight in living in us and the Spirit's with us. So we're going out into the world to lead an exciting Christian life. Because why? Because we're taking the
Reverend Ben Cooper:Father's heart, take the Father's heart
Simon Pinchbeck:with us. And we're going to show to people kind of show the people just in our action,
Reverend Ben Cooper:what the Father's heart is, what
Simon Pinchbeck:the Father's heart is. And what is the
Reverend Ben Cooper:Father's heart. It's salvation. It's redemption. It's forgiveness. It's love. It's unconditioned. What is the world lacking unforgiveness? Lacking love? We're not we're almost deterred from scientists, someone love you, brother. It's all right. I put my arm around you or holding you. Or you know, we are lacking physical contact, we are lacking someone saying, You know what? It's okay. I'm with you. This forgiveness, don't worry, don't worry. It seems to be and it is in the workplace and areas of life a weakness if we show our emotions, but this father shows his emotions, the father, the God of Israel, clearly, clearly through the given of his son shows us his emotions.
Simon Pinchbeck:Well, is just a small example. You know, we're not talking about jumping on a ladder or something and preaching, you know, we're not talking about that we're talking about being a light in a dark place. Me and Ben were talking about, you know, Matthew 516, and says, you know, take your light, and then they'll know the Father's heart sort of thing. So, it just a quick example, that happened to me recently, and it's all about going out with the intention. Really, yeah. So you know, I was in the queue in a coffee shop, and, and there was no one behind me and the lady behind the coffee, counter serve in a coffee. So she looked a bit, you know, you could tell you were downcast our spirit of color. I said to you, okay, she said, Yeah, I love to regatta you really okay. She said now she says I'm awesome. She looked at me. I said on Monday, she said, Well, my son tried to commit suicide a couple of weeks ago. Oh, what's your name? She said, Debbie. So What's your son's name? Nothing. She's told me. I said, Look, I'm a Christian. Let me pray for I'll pray for for both of you. And I will. That's all I can do. And she came in the counter. She put her arms around me like whoa, me a hug. You know?
Reverend Ben Cooper:Like powerful stars.
Simon Pinchbeck:It's just toast but it's a little bit in the father's past a father's heart,
Reverend Ben Cooper:the Father's heart. Oh my goodness.
Simon Pinchbeck:And you know, you'd see people's faces change
Reverend Ben Cooper:reacting reacting to the Father's love right and so the farmers love reacting to love reacting not to throw away the worldly love we're talking about this Agha pay love this love that breaks Oh sin that crushes everything that destroys fear. You know? perfect love drives out. Oh,
Simon Pinchbeck:man it just it just crashes through everything
Reverend Ben Cooper:breaks and it shatters everything the Father's love for John 316 says For God so loved the world
Simon Pinchbeck:is the love story we talked spoke about last week if you're not if you've if you missed last week's and get onto it because it's well worth a listen, to be honest with you.
Reverend Ben Cooper:The Father's heart is quite a difficult subject to talk about, isn't it? Because when you talk about you if you I don't know about you, but I get a glimmer of the Father's heart and I almost can become selfish because I'm thinking his love for me. It's just unconditional. Well, but it's it's difficult to talk about it because
Simon Pinchbeck:let me tell you this. It's okay to be selfish in that respect. Yeah, but it's not okay. Just do to keep it there. The father wants you to find Him for His Son Jesus. And then he wants you to go out and tell the world about
Reverend Ben Cooper:the find the love spread the love Street and how to share the love.
Simon Pinchbeck:Yeah, not in that way. Here's the thing. Look, you know, I was in was in Liverpool St.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Paul Dancing Club, a few tracks.
Simon Pinchbeck:I've thought but there was a little girl and Starbuck faces all sort of down and, and a lot of the people they are on the phone and they don't even look at the diamond don't
Reverend Ben Cooper:look. We're so entrenched in gadgets.
Simon Pinchbeck:They're on the farm. Yeah, give me a lot and blah, blah, blah. And I just looked at her and I said, are you okay? She looked at me. She said, Yes. She said it's his. She said, she looked at me she she, she'll face just brighten up. She said, He's Friday. So I'm like I said it's now his first act. No, no, we under you know, God bless you. You know, thank you very much. Indeed. It's nice to have someone with a bit of a smile on their face. Thank you so much. And you can just Brian, someone's love the love.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Love is encouragement. Encouragement, fuels someone to coach you know what? You can do it. Everything is okay. The Father's Love is the Father's love encourages you. The Father's love saves you the Father's love fuels you the Father's love forgives you. So when you start sharing the Father's love and the Father's heart with the world, it breaks every worry in their lives because perfect love drives out fear
Simon Pinchbeck:for us. I mean, listen to Ben, he's made some great points today. And it's the truth that the love of the Father
Reverend Ben Cooper:smashes fear, it smashes doubt it smashes all the thoughts. Because the Father's love is bigger and beyond human understanding. And when you are a believer, and we suddenly realized, you know what, I've got a story to tell, and not my story. The father story
Simon Pinchbeck:that's important, and I use not have a story story,
Reverend Ben Cooper:which is not really told of the Father's heart. John 316 is the father story.
Simon Pinchbeck:That's the father's story is the Father's love story for the world. And, and we've our commissioners as citizens of the kingdom, our commission is to go and
Reverend Ben Cooper:isn't it interesting that that great commission got all the word, but you can quite easily get that text and go right. I'm an evangelist, I'm going to go and tell him now hang on a minute. The Bible says go into all the world. So how do I do that? I think shall take the Father's home.
Simon Pinchbeck:You've got to show people people
Reverend Ben Cooper:let them know who Jesus is by just living. You walk the talk, just do it.
Simon Pinchbeck:I had you know, I'm not. I'm not saying I'd go out intentionally to say it to say a load of people asking people Oh, you know, in service situations or wherever. I get that. I mean, you're exactly the same. And I had I was at a little company a few years ago, that security company and a few light lads working for me which weren't Christian fellows, you know, and they never add in I tried to arrange their, their shifts so that they can go to night school and they passed couple of them have passed the accountants exam and they got out at my industry. And, and this is around seven years ago, I suppose something like seven or eight years ago. And every year, they contact me New Year's Eve New Year, New Year's Day, Simon Liu, you know, thank you very much. God bless you blah, blah, but it's too late. It's showing people love you'll get you get far and it's
Reverend Ben Cooper:attractive. It's attractive further
Simon Pinchbeck:with people,
Reverend Ben Cooper:because you're giving them God's heart when you give them God you're not giving them yourself, you're giving them this supernatural, beautiful, forgiving. And when you start out in a conversation about encouragement, unconditional love, everything else melts like wax, everything disappears. And suddenly you have these conversations with people wherever they are. And you can see the world is how hungry for just conversations of kindness of encouragement of it will be okay.
Simon Pinchbeck:Well, we spoke about it a bit off air last week. And I've met a couple of people recently who were struggling with and it's an area we'll talk about on another podcast, but really sort of struggling with a bit of maybe on forgiveness in certain areas of their life and and we sometimes feel the need to tell people what we feel bad. And the worst thing to do is to write an email, or put it on WhatsApp or write text messages because it all gets mixed up. The best thing to do, and when you can, you know, if you write it out, then don't send it, the best thing to do is to delete to delete and lovely.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Delete. Delete is a rising, delete is removing gone, the lesion is gone.
Simon Pinchbeck:And it you know what if you pray to the Lord, you know, and bless these people and not through clenched teeth not rash on or you know, the
Reverend Ben Cooper:front fence. Yeah, one Corinthians 13. Love never fails.
Simon Pinchbeck:And as Ben said, it cuts through everything. But it will lift up friendships, it'll change people, towards people,
Reverend Ben Cooper:people remember your character not because of your character, because you have the mind of Christ, the understanding of who you are. So when you speak unconditional love and verse eight of one Corinthians chapter 13. Love never fails. When you speak with a loving way, a loving presence, and you talk how the father talks to us, it is attractive because the world is longing. The world is longing to be embraced and to be forgiven. And to be just in this place of a safe space.
Simon Pinchbeck:There's Ben's right, there's loads of stuff we can do to encourage people a word in the right direction word
Reverend Ben Cooper:in season. And that's not whatever it be, who are the gods, Lord, God's got a word for, you know, just want a conversation.
Simon Pinchbeck:If you're in a restaurant, you know, a nice tip, you know, not not a verbal tip, but you know, given give someone a bit of money, you know, I'm saying yeah, it all goes to God bless you, you know, thank you very much. Indeed. That was lovely. And it's lovely. It's, you know, congratulate people encourage people. And if we had a world where we was all encouraging each other, even like good, even if we were, you know, because the worst thing is that when people do well, people want to pull them down, don't they? So, exactly, you know, be happy for people when they get blessed with we just have to be happy if someone's, you know, gone off and the Lord's you know, bless them. It's amazing, you know, because, you know, what did Jesus say when Peter said, what about that disciple? He said, Well, what's the matter about? It got to do with you. And yeah, but hold on, while you're constructing them. You're missing your own blessings and you
Reverend Ben Cooper:because you're, you're riddled with. It's not fair.
Simon Pinchbeck:Ben, we just want to end it a day. Yeah. And by just saying that, we got a feeling that there's people out there that have drifted away from the Lord or maybe they've got their face in the dirt and the Lord, that father's saying, Look, come back. Neck, it's time to come home. Same time to come home. Is forgiveness for you is love for you this time to come home? I think we kind of got a message over today. Yeah, definitely. And we just want to say, pull a massive blessing to everyone who's who's listen to this. And, you know, don't leave it another day. Come back to the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ.
Reverend Ben Cooper:That's it. Simon has said it. The word is spoken the Word of God has been speaking today. You've been listening to Simon and myself here at #Christian straight talk. Never give up. Never give up. The Father's heart is always open. Have a blessed day. Catch you soon in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen. Amen.