WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.200 Today we are going to take a posture of peace by canceling offense. 2 00:00:06.640 --> 00:00:11.360 Posture is a short audible fist bump to remind you God is with you in everything. 3 00:00:11.920 --> 00:00:16.160 Together we're going to be emboldened to take a daily posture of perfect peace. 4 00:00:20.400 --> 00:00:24.480 In Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 through 12 it says, 5 00:00:24.560 --> 00:00:33.360 Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that 6 00:00:33.360 --> 00:00:41.120 you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against 7 00:00:41.120 --> 00:00:47.600 flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over 8 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:53.600 this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 9 00:00:54.720 --> 00:01:00.160 So I've been thinking a lot lately about the common things that tend to steal our peace 10 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:07.040 over and over again and I call them peace stealers. Now let me just say this, no one and no 11 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:13.280 thing can actually steal your peace because as we've talked about before peace is not a calming 12 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:18.480 feeling or a calming environment or even a calming circumstance. That's worldly peace. 13 00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:25.520 But kingdom peace is a calming presence. His name is Jesus. Jesus is your prince of peace and for 14 00:01:25.520 --> 00:01:32.560 those who believe in Jesus the Bible says he now lives in you and you live with in him. God said 15 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:39.200 he will never leave you nor forsake you. So you always have peace. You always have the presence 16 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:46.240 of peace in your life. Your prince of peace cannot be stolen away from you but your awareness 17 00:01:46.240 --> 00:01:53.360 of his presence in your life can be stolen and it's often stolen by things, the same things kind 18 00:01:53.360 --> 00:02:00.640 of over and over again. So many people walk around unaware of their peace. They live searching for 19 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:06.240 something external to bring within themselves to calm themselves when really kingdom peace is 20 00:02:06.240 --> 00:02:11.920 internal and it comes to the surface and it affects the external. One common peace dealer 21 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:20.720 is offense. Now years ago I decided to radically embrace a truth that let me tell you gets tested 22 00:02:20.720 --> 00:02:28.320 a lot in this life and the truth is this, I only have one real enemy and his name is Satan. Meaning 23 00:02:28.320 --> 00:02:35.040 people are not my enemy. Now you may be thinking that's really sweet. That's a sweet thought to 24 00:02:35.040 --> 00:02:41.920 have but I'm not sure it's true because like it or not people act like enemies and you're right. 25 00:02:41.920 --> 00:02:47.040 You know people do act like enemies. People may not like me. They may oppose me. They may disagree 26 00:02:47.040 --> 00:02:56.480 with me. They may even actively seek to harm me but I have discovered something, a powerful truth. 27 00:02:57.440 --> 00:03:03.920 How I choose to perceive and engage with that kind of opposition from other people 28 00:03:04.720 --> 00:03:09.600 actually reflects what I believe about God and what I believe about myself. 29 00:03:11.440 --> 00:03:17.760 What does perfect peace look like in the midst of opposition? It's not passive. 30 00:03:18.480 --> 00:03:25.200 I believe peace is most needed and therefore fully activated in the midst of opposition. 31 00:03:25.200 --> 00:03:31.680 Remember Jesus said in John 16 33 he said, I have told you these things so that in me 32 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:39.520 you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble but take heart I have overcome the world. 33 00:03:40.640 --> 00:03:49.600 There is nothing passive about overcoming. Jesus also said in Matthew 5 verses 43 through 45 and 34 00:03:49.600 --> 00:03:55.920 I'm going to read the the passion translation of this verse. He said your ancestors have also 35 00:03:55.920 --> 00:04:03.360 been taught love your neighbors and hate the one who hates you. However I say to you love your 36 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:12.080 enemies. Bless the one who curses you. Do something wonderful for the one who hates you and respond 37 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:21.279 to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them for that will reveal your identity 38 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:29.040 as children of your heavenly father. He is kind to all by bringing the sunrise to warm 39 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:37.040 and the rainfall to refresh whether a person does what is good or evil. Now religion wants to make 40 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:42.960 this some kind of standard which we measure ourselves and condemn ourselves right? Like we 41 00:04:42.960 --> 00:04:49.120 either do it right or we do it wrong. We fail, we pass, but we're not religious people. We are 42 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:54.160 kingdom people so we see accurately. We see through the lens of Romans 8 28 where it says 43 00:04:54.800 --> 00:05:00.000 we know for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called 44 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.240 according to his purpose. 45 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:10.280 And we know the truth of Romans 8, 37 that says, through him in all things, we are more 46 00:05:10.280 --> 00:05:12.420 than conquerors. 47 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:14.200 So that's the truth in which we live. 48 00:05:14.200 --> 00:05:22.880 So we can view a command that Jesus made in Matthew 5 with a kingdom lens, kingdom eyes, 49 00:05:22.880 --> 00:05:25.480 with a healed heart and a renewed mind. 50 00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:29.440 And we know this is not a standard to achieve. 51 00:05:29.440 --> 00:05:32.920 This is an identity to receive. 52 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:35.080 This is who we are. 53 00:05:35.080 --> 00:05:42.400 We can walk in radical love, so radical that we can love our enemies, pray for those who 54 00:05:42.400 --> 00:05:45.760 persecute us, bless those that hate us. 55 00:05:45.760 --> 00:05:51.000 What if the purpose of opposition, the opposition we receive from other people here on earth, 56 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:54.880 is to empower us to love well? 57 00:05:54.880 --> 00:06:01.840 What if the purpose of trouble is to empower us with a greater awareness of peace and his 58 00:06:01.840 --> 00:06:02.840 power? 59 00:06:02.840 --> 00:06:05.600 Now, this doesn't mean you have to be best friends with toxic people. 60 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:08.240 It doesn't mean you become a doormat or a punching bag. 61 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:09.240 No. 62 00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:10.240 Remember, you're an overcomer. 63 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:11.240 You are more than a conqueror. 64 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:13.480 You are a person of the kingdom of God. 65 00:06:13.480 --> 00:06:20.680 This is about being empowered and equipped to stay above the chaos of an offensive world 66 00:06:20.680 --> 00:06:25.920 and live in peace no matter how others may choose to live. 67 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:33.400 What if all the energy spent in offense towards other people was turned towards our real enemy, 68 00:06:33.400 --> 00:06:34.400 Satan? 69 00:06:34.400 --> 00:06:37.760 I think we'd empty his hands so fast. 70 00:06:37.760 --> 00:06:43.160 We would strip him of the lies and accusation he tries to wield against us every day. 71 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:47.440 Instead of canceling each other, we would cancel his plans. 72 00:06:47.440 --> 00:06:50.160 Our minds and our hearts would be free. 73 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:56.760 We'd have the space to develop real solutions to the problems that we face in this world. 74 00:06:56.760 --> 00:06:58.400 I think that's what would happen. 75 00:06:58.400 --> 00:06:59.400 And you know what? 76 00:06:59.400 --> 00:07:05.400 I know it's easier said than done, but it's better practice than ignored. 77 00:07:05.400 --> 00:07:09.220 Just because it's hard doesn't make it impossible. 78 00:07:09.220 --> 00:07:13.460 And even if it's impossible to the world, which I believe it is because they lack the 79 00:07:13.460 --> 00:07:18.980 empowerment of Jesus, nothing is impossible with God. 80 00:07:19.020 --> 00:07:24.460 You are called to live differently, made in the image of God, empowered by Christ, filled 81 00:07:24.460 --> 00:07:26.320 with the Holy Spirit. 82 00:07:26.320 --> 00:07:30.940 Nothing is too difficult for Him, and therefore nothing is too difficult for you because you 83 00:07:30.940 --> 00:07:33.180 now live in Him. 84 00:07:33.180 --> 00:07:37.860 So today, let's be empowered to love well. 85 00:07:37.860 --> 00:07:42.900 Let's turn our comments and our thoughts and our actions about other people that are born 86 00:07:42.900 --> 00:07:48.380 out of offense, let's turn those into prayers that align with our identity in Christ and 87 00:07:48.380 --> 00:07:51.460 God's purpose for all people.