WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:07.280 Before we jump into the like meat and potatoes of the message, I want you to uh do me a favor, if you don't mind, to indulge me a little bit. 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:09.839 Because I'm gonna do something that I haven't done in a little while. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:14.560 I'm gonna talk about something that I haven't talked about in a couple of weeks, but I always tell myself I'm gonna stop talking about this. 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:21.760 I always say, you know, Justin, uh, you have you have run that bit into the ground, stop it, move on, and then it just keeps coming back up. 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:22.960 Like I keep thinking about it. 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:26.239 So you're gonna roll your eyes, those of you who are here a lot, just bear with me. 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:29.359 Um I have a son who plays basketball. 00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:30.000 Okay? 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:31.679 And he's really good. 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:32.880 Um, yeah. 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:40.320 And just so you understand why I'm doing this, there's a little bit of self-therapy because uh he's on this travel team, and it's a big, bigger deal than I realized. 00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:43.679 Like, this is my first time venturing into that crazy world. 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:47.039 And they have their state tournament championships today. 00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:52.399 Uh, he'll be playing in like 40 minutes, and uh, and if they win, they're in the state championship. 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:55.840 And that's awesome, but I can't be there. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:56.960 I'm not gonna be there. 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:02.960 And even if they make it to the state championship, my daughter has a dance recital tonight, and she only gets one of those a year, so I'm definitely there. 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:07.120 And so my son today, it's two biggest games he's ever played, and I can't be at either of them. 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:09.519 So I need this for me, okay? 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:16.159 So here's the deal Liam's a really good player, really good ball handler, but if he has a superpower, he the boy can like shoot a basketball. 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:19.680 It's actually frustrating to get beat in a game of horse by an eight-year-old. 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:21.280 It's act it's suit, and I played my whole life. 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:23.200 It's frustrating, but it happens on a regular basis. 00:01:23.359 --> 00:01:25.359 He can shoot, and I have video evidence to prove it. 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:27.680 So this is me and Liam shooting in the yard. 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:28.480 He's not that fast. 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:37.120 We sped it up, and that's a little further than the free throw line for perspective, and he just makes it, and he makes it, and he makes it, and he makes it over. 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:38.959 And then, watch, he's gonna miss this one. 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:41.200 That was 15 straight, just in case you were counting. 00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:45.439 Um, then I make a really bad pass, and you know, then he just like, nah, I'll make it. 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:48.640 Um, he's eight years old in that video. 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:50.719 I know, guys, I'm excited about the future. 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:51.760 That's all I'm gonna say. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:54.079 Um I don't know. 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:57.280 I didn't give him much in the height department, so we'll see what God does there. 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:04.879 Um, but it's funny, I I'm one of those dads who's weirdly obsessed, and and like I videotape us practicing like that. 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:06.400 And I do that for a few reasons. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:07.920 Number one, I'm that weird dad. 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:10.879 Number two, it really helps Liam if I can show him things. 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:13.840 So sometimes we'll do drills and I'll film it, and I'll be like, hey Liam, this is what I'm talking about. 00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:14.479 And he can see it. 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:16.240 He really, really helps him out. 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:21.439 And that that specific video, when I, when I when I watched it, I got really excited. 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:24.000 And it wasn't because he made 15 straight shots. 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:26.080 Sometimes you get hot, sometimes you're cold. 00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:26.879 That just happens. 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:27.680 That's sports. 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:33.439 But there was this one moment, this one moment in that in that video that I was like, Liam, Liam, come here, dude, you gotta see this. 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:34.400 This is amazing, this is awesome. 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:37.120 And he wasn't as excited as I was, because I'm that weird dad. 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:38.400 Um, but I want to show you what it is. 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:43.840 It's not the 15 straight makes, it's actually this one moment here where um he misses it, okay? 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:46.639 I make a bad pass, because that's that's what a dad's for. 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:48.800 And he goes sideways, but look, like, see pause. 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:50.639 See his feet right there? 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:55.360 You see how like just instinctively, like, that's that's literally like perfection. 00:02:55.599 --> 00:02:58.479 Like, as soon as I see his feet like that, I'm like, he's gonna make the shot. 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:02.240 Because in basketball, a shot is every bit as much about your feet as it is the rest of your body. 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:09.120 If your feet are in the right place and you plant your feet and they're they're pointing the right direction and your footwork is right, everything else just follows your feet. 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:12.879 And so when I saw that video, I was like, Liam, come here and look at your feet. 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:14.719 Look at your feet right there. 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:16.800 Like you just you plant, it was perfect. 00:03:16.879 --> 00:03:18.319 And he's like, okay. 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:22.639 Um, I'm just like, wow, your footwork, son, it's pretty awesome. 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:25.039 And then he went inside and did what children should do. 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:27.120 You know, watch TV, played a video game, had fun. 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:29.759 And I was obsessing over his feet in a video. 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:34.319 So I promise you that this is gonna connect in just a few minutes. 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:37.280 I promise, okay, but we'll come back to this. 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:41.280 So here's the deal: we're in a series right now called Standing Ground. 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:44.560 And what we're talking about is a concept that we see often in the story of Jesus. 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:50.960 We see it all through scripture, really, a lot in the New Testament, and it's a concept that we usually call spiritual warfare. 00:03:51.199 --> 00:04:04.639 The main text that we've been looking at, Ephesians 6, 10 through 12, says, a final word, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, and put on all of God's armor so that you'll be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil. 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:15.199 For we're not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:18.560 So Paul, the author, is saying that we are in a battle. 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:25.199 And it's not what we think, it's not the world we live in, it's not what we see with our eyes, it's not flesh and blood. 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:29.519 But we're in a battle, and we're in a battle that's spiritual in nature. 00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:38.079 Now, some of us might hear this and be like, okay, this is weird stuff, spiritual battles, spiritual warfare, evil spirits, we're talking Satan, demons, that kind of thing. 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:39.439 And like, yeah, absolutely. 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:41.279 That's exactly what we're talking about. 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:44.959 And for me, I'll be honest, I don't always love that concept. 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:47.120 I don't like thinking about that, but I'm a Jesus follower. 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:53.199 So what Jesus says, what he teaches, that's gonna outrank any other idea that I have. 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:58.000 If Jesus teaches it, if he says it, then I'm gonna believe it because I am a Jesus follower. 00:04:58.079 --> 00:04:59.680 I have submitted my life to him. 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:01.600 He's my authority. 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:04.560 And there is there is simply no way to read the story of Jesus. 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:12.000 There is no way to read the teachings of Jesus and walk away with the conclusion that he does not believe in everything that Paul's saying here. 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:18.399 That he doesn't believe that we have an enemy, a spiritual enemy, that he doesn't believe in Satan, that he doesn't believe in demonic forces. 00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:21.439 He absolutely does because he deals with them like head on. 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:36.639 And the the challenge, I think, for us, where we're at in history and where we're at culturally as a church, is we live in a time where even the church in America is trying really hard to separate the spiritual from the physical, to separate the spiritual from the practical. 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:43.279 We try really hard to do that, and so it's not uncommon to hear a big push in churches where it's like, hey, we've got to focus on the practical stuff. 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:47.519 But the the challenge there is that Jesus never separated spiritual and practical. 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:49.199 They went together for him. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:54.079 Like once he was asked what the greatest commandment was, and he said, Love God with everything you have. 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:56.399 And that's spiritual, right? 00:05:56.560 --> 00:05:57.199 Love God. 00:05:57.360 --> 00:06:02.000 But then he says, Oh, by the way, second thing, just as important, love your neighbor as yourself. 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:11.920 So he takes the spiritual love God and he just connects it to what we would view as practical, physical, people. 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:16.079 Jesus once said, What good is it if a man gains the entire world but loses his soul? 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:22.079 For Jesus, the spiritual and the physical, they're not two categories that we we bounce back and forth between. 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:24.319 They're one and the same, they go together. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:25.839 And that's what Paul's saying here. 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:30.160 He's saying, look, there is a spiritual reality, it influences your life. 00:06:30.480 --> 00:06:31.680 And a lot of it's good. 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:32.480 God is in that. 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:34.160 God does things, he blesses us. 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:40.800 There's an overlap where God intersects with us in our lives, and we experience tremendous things, miraculous things. 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:43.360 But Paul's saying it's not just God. 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:46.240 We have an enemy, and he is real. 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:48.480 And he's organized and he's powerful. 00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:50.959 He's not as powerful as our God, not even close. 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:52.959 But take it seriously. 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:55.439 Stand your ground, armor up. 00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:00.879 He's not saying, by the way, that there may be a slim chance that one day you can encounter some spiritual resistance. 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:02.079 That's not what he's saying. 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:05.600 If that's the case, he'd be like, you know, you don't really need to armor up per se. 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:07.839 You know, just be watchful. 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:13.199 No, he believed that absolutely 100%, whether we realize it or not, we are in a battle. 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:17.759 We will encounter spiritual resistance all the time, and we need to be prepared daily. 00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:21.920 And so he starts talking about this armor of God concept, this metaphor. 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:26.720 And it's it's Paul saying, hey, don't be afraid, don't be worried, because you've been equipped. 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:31.199 So, yes, you're in a spiritual battle, but you've got equipment. 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:35.279 God has given you resources and tools that you need to rely on. 00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:37.920 And he uses this armor metaphor to help us understand that. 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:39.360 We've talked about a few of those. 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:43.279 Talked about the belt of truth a few weeks back, the breastplate of righteousness. 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:46.079 Last week we started talking about the shoes. 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:48.000 And the shoes are a little different. 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:55.120 Ephesians 6.15 says, For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the good news so that you will be fully prepared. 00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:59.680 Most of the other pieces of armor are just, it's one word, it's faith, it's salvation. 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:01.920 It's truth, righteousness. 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:08.560 But the shoes are the shoes of peace that come from the good news of being fully prepared. 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:10.560 Doesn't quite come out the same. 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:15.040 Some translations say put on the shoes of readiness that come from the gospel of peace. 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:18.639 And so, really, what we have here with the shoes is we have two concepts. 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:22.480 We have readiness, being prepared for whatever God has for us. 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:26.879 We talked about that last week, and then we have peace, which we're talking about today. 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:34.799 If you would have asked me a few months ago, as we were doing the initial planning on this, hey, which piece of armor do you think you might spend two entire weeks on? 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:36.080 Um, I would have said none. 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:37.279 We're just gonna do one a week. 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:40.240 In fact, for a while we thought about doing two a week. 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:43.919 And that's just because we've been in Ephesians for a year and I'm ready to be done. 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:46.639 Um but no, we're like, no, this is important. 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:48.399 Let's let's really take our time with it. 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:52.720 Um, but if you would have said, if you're gonna do two of them, which one are you gonna spend two weeks on? 00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:54.320 I would never have guessed shoes. 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:59.519 I should have, because there's two of them, but like I never would have guessed that because we're talking shoes. 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:01.759 It's it's a pretty basic concept. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:03.759 Right? 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:09.600 But but I'm really glad that we are talking about shoes for a few weeks because here's the deal. 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:13.679 Just like that video of my son, you guys remember that when I showed you that, when he made all the baskets? 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:20.240 Um just like that video, like it's all about footwork. 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:27.600 How can you expect to stand your ground if you don't have your feet planted where they belong? 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:33.120 So we can't stand our ground if we're not standing, and for that you you need your feet. 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:34.639 Your feet are your foundation. 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:38.559 Your feet are what keep you stable, they're what they're what gives you balance. 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:45.200 And if we're gonna stand up to our enemy, if we're gonna stand our ground, then our feet have to be planted in the right place. 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:49.840 So I'm glad we're spending two weeks on this because it really is all about the footwork. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:55.919 The Bible says that we we're supposed to put on the shoes of peace. 00:09:56.240 --> 00:09:57.919 I want to be clear about what it's talking about here. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:01.519 It's not talking about you not having conflict with other people in your life. 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:02.879 That's that's gonna happen. 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:04.559 And that concept we call unity. 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:05.279 We want to have unity. 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:06.080 We've talked about that. 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:09.919 We had a whole section of our study on Ephesians all about unity. 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:10.720 You can look that up. 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:13.679 What we're talking about here is like inner peace. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:18.320 It's the kind of peace that Jesus promises in in John chapter 14, verse 27. 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:21.919 He says, I'm leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart. 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:24.559 And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:26.320 So don't be troubled or afraid. 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:29.440 By the way, if you read scripture, you should a lot. 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:32.000 If you read it, you are gonna hear God say a lot. 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:33.840 Don't be worried, don't be afraid. 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:34.559 Just don't. 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:37.519 And every time I read that, I'm like, oh, okay, thanks. 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:40.080 Like that's I appreciate that advice, you know? 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:40.799 Don't be afraid. 00:10:40.879 --> 00:10:43.039 Oh, now that you put it that way, I'm not afraid anymore. 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:43.759 You know? 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:44.799 Don't be worried. 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:46.240 Oh, cool, thank you. 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:52.720 It's that's it's so funny how something that we struggle with on such a regular basis, God says, do not worry and do not be afraid all the time in the Bible. 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:54.399 It's almost like he knows us. 00:10:54.559 --> 00:10:57.360 And he knows how much we struggle with fear and worry. 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:00.080 But he just looks at us and says, Don't, don't, don't even. 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:02.159 Not even a little bit, don't. 00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:07.279 Don't be worried, don't be troubled, don't be afraid, because I've given you peace. 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:12.480 John 16, 33, Jesus reiterates, I've told you all of this so that you may have peace in me. 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:18.960 Here on earth you will have trials and sorrows, many of them, but take heart, because I have overcome the world. 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:26.559 When Jesus talks about peace, he's saying that we will have this deep contentment in our spirit. 00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:31.200 A deep contentment that the world cannot offer us. 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:40.080 I was doing some research on the Greek word that we translate peace, and I was looking in a concordance, which is like a like a dictionary for Bible terms, basically. 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:50.639 And one of the definitions, as far as our faith is concerned, of what peace actually is is this the tranquil state of the soul, assured of its salvation through Christ. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:56.960 And so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot of whatsoever sort that is. 00:11:57.279 --> 00:11:59.200 You guys, if you could leave that up for just a moment. 00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:03.440 A couple weeks ago we talked about the breastplate of righteousness, how we've all been made right with God. 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:04.720 If you weren't here, listen to that. 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:05.919 We've been made right with God. 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:10.320 So when it comes to your relationship with God, Jesus took care of that on the cross, you're good. 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:11.919 You don't have to earn it. 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:18.480 Doesn't mean that you you can't do things in your life that affect your ability to enjoy it, but you don't have to earn that. 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:19.440 That's been taken care of. 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:20.480 You're good with God. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:22.320 But it's that second part. 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:25.600 Content with its earthly lot. 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:28.799 That is something that we struggle with. 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:30.799 That's something we struggle with. 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:34.559 Are we are we content with life? 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:38.320 Do we have peace with life? 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:41.679 You guys can can take that down. 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:44.879 Statistically, no. 00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:52.879 If we're gonna if we're gonna look at the statistics on our nation, our culture, peace, contentment, not something we're good at. 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:58.799 Time magazine published an article last year that said 40% of Americans are more anxious than they were one year ago. 00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:01.679 40% more anxious. 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:04.320 So it's it's not going in the right direction. 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:16.080 About 18% of our population, which equates to tens of millions of people, by the way, 18% of our population struggles with some type of anxiety disorder. 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:23.039 7% of our population, 7%, that's almost 10%, severe depression. 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:26.080 That's the opposite of peace. 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:34.799 If you're anxious, if you're worried, if you're stressed out, if you're afraid, if you're depressed, that is that is not the peace that Jesus is promising. 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:38.080 And our nation has an epidemic and it's on the rise. 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:39.360 And we can't figure it out. 00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:41.279 That's the really interesting thing. 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:48.639 We have more treatments and medicines for anxiety and depression than we have ever had before in the history of humanity. 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:50.799 And yet the numbers just climb. 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:54.879 Now, I'm not saying that it's not medical. 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:56.639 Please hear this. 00:13:56.720 --> 00:13:58.480 Sometimes we're like, oh, he's saying don't take the pills. 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:01.840 No, if you've doctor prescribed you a pill, take it, okay? 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:05.679 But I'm just saying it's not only medical. 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:11.120 It's not, because remember, Jesus, he never disconnected the spirit from the physical. 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:12.399 It's it's both. 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:18.320 And if we have something that's both spiritual and physical, but we're only addressing the physical side of it, we're never gonna be over it. 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:19.759 We're never gonna be done with it. 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:21.679 Because there's a spirit behind it. 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:35.279 Could it be that our nation struggles with a spirit of depression, a spirit of anxiety, a spirit of worry, a spirit of discontentment that leads us to lack peace? 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:40.320 I believe that in scripture would say yes. 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:44.399 And if that's the case, then we can't address it in just physical ways. 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:46.159 We have to, we have to get to the root. 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:47.759 We have to deal with the spirit. 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:53.120 And here's where it gets kind of challenging for us who call ourselves Jesus followers. 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:55.200 Jesus promises peace. 00:14:56.320 --> 00:14:56.960 Promises it. 00:14:57.120 --> 00:14:57.759 I give you peace. 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:00.080 And the peace I give, by the way, the world cannot give you. 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:02.320 There's no pill that can give you the peace that Jesus offers. 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:05.679 There's no yoga class that you can take that's going to give you the peace that Jesus offers. 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:07.759 There's no there's no version of that peace that's out there. 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:08.639 It's just Jesus. 00:15:08.799 --> 00:15:11.200 But the challenge is that we're Jesus followers. 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:12.879 Most of us would say, I'm a Jesus follower. 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:14.960 And what do we do if we're not experiencing that peace? 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:16.559 What does that mean for us? 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:23.039 Because if I've been promised something by God, but I'm not walking in it, I'm not experiencing it, then that's a problem. 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:27.440 Either God's a liar or I'm missing something. 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:30.559 And I gotta figure that out when that's the case. 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:39.519 Because I'll just be the first to admit that I am all too often easily frustrated and quick to be stressed out of my mind. 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:42.639 And I'm even kind of proud of it. 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:48.159 Like when I ask someone how they're doing, I never, almost never hear someone say, I'm at peace. 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:49.279 I'm at peace. 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:51.279 Like everything's going, like I'm just, I'm good. 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:53.360 God's good, and and I'm at peace. 00:15:53.519 --> 00:16:01.600 Almost always I hear someone say, like, I'm busy, really busy, I'm good, but busy, and then quickly dive into a major problem in their life, you know, which isn't peace. 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:04.799 But like I do that all the time, and I actually take pride in being busy. 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:07.519 So if someone asks me how I'm doing, I'm like, I'm good, I'm busy. 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:10.159 Let me tell you all the things that I've got going on. 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:12.559 And that's not peace. 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:16.159 Defining yourself by how busy you are, that is not peace. 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:19.919 Can you imagine if you would have asked Jesus, how are you? 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:21.279 And he's like, Oh, I'm busy. 00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:25.120 I got like three years to save the world before they kill me. 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:29.679 And uh, after they kill me, I just gotta like raise back to life, you know, just normal stuff. 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:32.320 Um, but Jesus, he didn't do that. 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:36.000 See, I'm not I'm not at peace. 00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:41.600 I I cannot say that day by day I'm living that peace that Jesus describes. 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:43.279 And that's a problem for me. 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:45.919 And I imagine it's a problem for many of us. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:48.080 And so my question this morning is can we just deal with this? 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:50.320 Would it be okay if we took a Sunday and just dealt with it? 00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:54.080 Like, really dealt with it and then left and we're like, okay, we get it, we're dealing with it. 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:55.440 Are you guys alright with that? 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:56.480 Are you all awake? 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:57.039 Okay. 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:00.159 Some of you are like, I'd rather not. 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:01.919 And uh, I get it. 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:05.599 Because I'll be honest with you, the last thing I wanted to do this week was prepare this message. 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:06.960 I hate these messages. 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:07.680 These are the worst. 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:10.640 I love, I would love it if today was just like Jeremiah 29, 11. 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:13.359 God loves you, He's got a great plan for your life, woo-hoo. 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:21.119 Um, but when you go through scripture and you don't skip stuff, then you're like, oh great, it's a message that's gonna force me to take a long look in the mirror this week and deal with all my stuff. 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:23.440 I didn't want to do that this week. 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:25.680 But that's where we're at. 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:29.519 And as I as I prepared and prayed, I'm like, God, let's just deal with it. 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:35.759 Let's let's like really go there this morning so that we can actually have this peace that God promises us. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:37.200 Why don't we have that peace? 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:38.480 And the answer is really simple. 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:40.960 Because we are divided as people. 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:42.240 We're divided. 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:45.279 See, division is the opposite of peace. 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:47.359 It's the opposite of peace. 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:56.640 In fact, one of those scriptures that just says, hey, don't worry about anything, Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 through 7, don't worry about anything, instead, pray about everything. 00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:02.640 Tell God what you need, thank him for all he's done, then you'll experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. 00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:05.599 His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:11.680 The message version, which is a a paraphrase, not a translation, but it does a really good job with these scriptures here. 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:13.680 It says, Don't fret or worry. 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:25.359 Instead of worrying, pray, let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns, and before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:30.000 It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:37.440 Now it's interesting that in the message version, you don't even see the word peace, even though it's there twice in most versions. 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:39.920 But what it does say is God's wholeness. 00:18:42.319 --> 00:18:44.640 And that's that's interesting and appropriate. 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:56.000 Because if you are divided as a person, if there is division in you, and you're pulled one way and then pulled another, you are not living at peace. 00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:59.680 People who live at peace are people who live resolved. 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:02.319 There's a wholeness there. 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:07.039 We see a lot of language in scripture talking about a life that wavers. 00:19:07.440 --> 00:19:08.720 It's never connected to peace. 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:11.759 So for example, Ephesians 4, verse 14. 00:19:12.079 --> 00:19:14.079 Then we will no longer be immature like children. 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:16.799 We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. 00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:19.359 You see that language tossed and blown about? 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:21.440 Back and forth. 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:25.039 James chapter 1, verses 22 through 24. 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:26.160 Don't listen to God's word. 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:27.119 Don't just listen to it. 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:28.480 You have to do what it says. 00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:30.240 Otherwise, you're only fooling yourselves. 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:33.599 For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it's like glancing at your face in a mirror. 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:35.839 You see yourself walk away and forget what you look like. 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:40.480 It's this picture of someone that like looks at themselves, goes back, goes back, goes, I what do I look like? 00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:41.279 Oh, that's what I look like? 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:41.680 Go back. 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:43.119 What do I look like? 00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:45.359 That's not that's not peace. 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:48.720 Every time I read that, by the way, it makes me think of the gym that I go to. 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:52.640 And there's like, if you're one of these guys, by the way, just stop. 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:56.559 Um there's these guys who like look great. 00:19:56.640 --> 00:19:59.440 Like you got your muscles are huge, and you know your muscles are huge. 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:00.640 It's not like a mystery. 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:01.599 You can see them. 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:09.440 And they'll like do these like things and then they'll look in the mirror and like flex, and it's like, it's probably not that different than it was 13 seconds ago. 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:12.720 You don't have to check in on your arms after every set. 00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:16.640 You know, it's just trust that it's good things are happening, you know, whatever. 00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:18.400 But it's like this looking back and forth in the mirror. 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:24.079 And you know, I'll tell you this: when you see someone who looks back and forth in the mirror over and over again, do you think that's a secure person? 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:26.960 Is that a person at peace with themselves? 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:30.319 Having to check their reflection every 10 seconds, like, am I still am I still looking good? 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:31.119 Ooh, still look good. 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:31.839 Okay, cool. 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:35.119 Um I gave up on that a long time ago. 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:36.799 It's like, just avoid mirrors. 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:37.920 It's so much easier. 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:44.400 Um there's this wavering that's described, going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:45.839 That is not peace. 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:47.680 That's division. 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:52.319 And we we miss out on the peace of God because we live divided. 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:55.119 We have we have divided hope. 00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:58.480 Jesus says it really clearly in Matthew 6, 24. 00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:00.000 No one can serve two masters. 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:01.920 You'll hate one and you'll love the other. 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:04.400 You'll be devoted to one and you'll despise the other. 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:08.079 You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:12.480 And he uses money as this example, but but we could use a lot of things. 00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:25.039 There's a lot of things that if we're really honest with ourselves, if I'm really honest with myself, we would say, hey, I'm totally putting my hope on Jesus and this other thing. 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:28.480 I mean, I'm trusting Jesus for for my life. 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:31.039 I trust Jesus to solve my problems and be there for me. 00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:36.400 But in case, in case Jesus is busy, I've got a good five-year plan. 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:38.720 I've got an idea. 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:46.160 I I have this career, I have this job, I have this bank account, I have this relationship, I have this addiction that I, to be honest, it makes me feel good. 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:48.000 I have I have this escape. 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:51.359 I have I have all these other things. 00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:56.400 And remember, this is talking about our feet, shoes of peace. 00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:59.279 It's like we've we've planted one foot on Jesus. 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:03.279 But we've put another foot on something else. 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:08.240 And if we live like that, we waver, because here's the truth. 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:11.440 Jesus is He's solid. 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:17.920 Matthew chapter 7, he says, anyone who hears my teaching and does what I say is like a person who builds their house on solid rock. 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:23.200 Okay, so so Jesus, you can plant your feet on Jesus and you're gonna be good. 00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:26.559 That is a firm foundation for life. 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:32.160 God is often called in scripture a rock, a refuge. 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:34.880 Satan is called the prince of the air. 00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:38.720 So we live in a world that's aligned with Satan. 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:39.680 It is. 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:47.200 And if we if we have one foot planted on the rock and another foot planted in air, that's a problem. 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:50.559 Because you can't actually plant your foot on air. 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:52.079 You can't do it. 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:59.200 And if Satan's pushing against us and we're supposed to have our shoes, so we can we can stand our ground, try to stand your ground like this. 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:01.920 Like a three-year-old could push me over right now. 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:02.720 You know? 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:04.480 You can't do it. 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:07.200 And we don't think of those terms, but that's what we do. 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:13.519 When we have anything that we put our hope in that's not Jesus, it's like we're saying, Jesus, I got my hope in you, I'm planting my hope in you, and this. 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:15.839 This is my plan B. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:23.759 And I have found that in my life, when I have a plan B in my mind that's not God, a lot of times that's actually my plan A, and God's my plan B. 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:28.079 I like to convince myself it's the other way around, but sometimes it's not. 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:31.279 It won't work. 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:35.119 It's divided hope. 00:23:36.880 --> 00:23:38.720 It's divided hope. 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:43.279 And if you live divided, if you live divided, you will not have peace. 00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:50.480