Posted on August 26, 2024 by growintheword

Part III: Friends Not Fans 

Synopsis of 8.18.24 Sermon

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 

Mark 2:1-5 
1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

I.               INTRODUCTION

  1. Friendships are the most important relationships we will attain in life. Many friendships will come for specific reasons, but some will only be there for certain seasons. No matter which, all of them play roles in our lives.
  2. Who we allow in our circle can affect our Destiny. If you get 5 real friends in your lifetime, you have done well. Proverbs 17:17 NKJV 17 A friend loves at all times,
    And a brother is born for adversity.
  3. S.Lewis pinned a quote that says,“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one!””
  4. We have to learn the difference between friends and fans. The difference between friends and fans lies in relationships. Friends invest in your well-being. Fans are attached to you based on your status and are focused on what they can get from you.
  5. Some of you have been classifying people as friends in error. Just because people call you friend, doesn’t mean that they are your real friends. They will vacate the friendship when things get rough. You don’t know who your real friends are until things get rough.
  6. You have to be able to discern between the two. When you do that, then you tap into the blessings behind the scenes.
  7. In this season, you will learn to align with the right people.
  8. In this story today, this man needed a miracle. Some of us find ourselves in the same situation. God will use human agency to help you with your breakthrough. In other words, God will send people into your life to be real friends. Don’t push them away, because of the things your past friends have done.
  9. In today’s story, there is a paralytic. He lies on a cot and relies on others to get for him what he needs. This happens in a land called Capernaum. In this culture, it was believed that is was the cause of some sin that they may have committed, when people that had a sickness or ailment.

 

  1. Think about Job’s friends. When he went through his attacks and his sickness, his friends asked him what he had done to anger God.
  2. In john 9, the blind man’s friends thought he had sinned resulting in his blindness, but his blindness was so that God could get the glory.

 

  1. Jesus started teaching in Capernaum. Everywhere Jesus went, word got out about Him. In this story, Jesus was in the house teaching and the crowd had gathered to hear him teach.
  2. There is a man laying on a cot that had 4 friends. They heard that Jesus was in town, and they believed Jesus could help his situation, so they decided to carry him to Jesus.
  3. When they carried him to the house, they realized it was blocked. They realized that they had to take him to the roof, break through it, and lower him down.

II.               THEY WERE NOT CRITICAL OF HIS CONDITION

  • He’s lame and the culture judged him, thinking he had sinned. His four friends, however, did not.

A.    Everybody Can’t Handle Your Handicaps

  1. Be very clear, lameness is something impeding your progress. All of us have some kind of lameness in our lives. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean you don’t have it. We all have some kind of handicap that tries to hinder us from reaching our destination.
  2. Handicaps put us in certain predicaments. You’ve got to remind people that we all have issues, but it is the grace of God that allows us to do like we do.

B.    Real Friends Have Compassion

  1. Compassion is the feeling you have for people that are suffering.
  2. Attributes of Compassion:
    1. Compassion Hears – You don’t judge people for their disfunction. You’re able to allow them to tell you, their story. For example, a person didn’t just end up homeless. Let’s hear how they got there. Listen to the stories of people and quit judging. James 1:19 NKJV says “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;”
    2. Compassion Hopes – Hopes for the best in people. Romans 15:1 NKJV says “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” – I see your potential, regardless of your situation. Some people hope you fail, but your friends won’t. You can’t be a hope-er and a hater at the same time.
    3. Compassion Helps – When you have compassion, it is true after the action. Galatians 6:2 NKJV 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Chris. In today’s scripture, we see that they saw their friend on his back and they refused to allow him to be in that situation. They were willing to help.
  3. How did they help you ask? They carried him to Jesus.

III.               THEY EACH CARRIED THEIR CORNER

  • Everyone had to carry their corner for his help to happen. Your one assignment is to carry your corner.
  • We’ve got people trying to lift us, but they’re not able to carry their corner. Our situation ought to be better when we are being carried. In order for that to happen, you have to be handled properly. The people that are carrying you can’t drop you!
    • If you would remember in II Samuel, someone was crippled, because they were dropped as a baby.

A.    They Did What They Could To Get Him What He Needed

  1. They knew Jesus was in the house. If Jesus is in the house, then healing is in the house.

B.    It’s Not As Heavy When We Work Together

  1. When carrying somebody this kind of distance is hard, but it isn’t as hard, when we all work together.
    1. Force distribution – When multiple people work together, then the weight is evenly distributed. Stop living in situations where you do all the lifting. You can do bad by yourself.
  2. There is power in togetherness. We are better together!
    1. God moves into togetherness. Remember when the Children of Israel were marching around the Walls of Jericho together and when they shouted, the walls fell? Psalms 31 reminds us of how beautiful it is for us to dwell together. Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace, God gave them a breakthrough! Acts 2:1 KJV says “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”
    2. Peter was in jail and the church was together praying for him and he was suddenly released. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas prayed together and an earthquake shook their chains loose. Everyone’s chains came off in the jail. When we come together, that’s when breakthroughs happen!
  3. They take the paralytic man to the house where Jesus is and find that there is a crowd in the door.

IV.               THEY DIDN’T CANCEL BECAUSE OF THE CROWD

  • Crowds are a deterrent for some people, but not when it comes to ball games and concerts. It’s only a problem when it comes to the things of God.
  • The woman with the issue of blood, went through a crowd to get to Jesus. In Luke 14, this guy climbed a tree to get to Jesus. You don’t know what some people had to press through, just to get here today

A.    Don’t Allow The Facts To Frustrate You

  1. What do you do when you get there, and both the windows and doors are full of people? What do you do when you take the journey God said to take and there is no access when you get there?
  2. You have to have:
    Faith beyond the Situation – You’ve got to believe what God told you.
  3. Finish What You Started – If you got to the house, make up your mind that you’re so far out, that going back is not an option.
  4. Focus On Solutions – Stop talking about what can’t happen. Start speaking to those things that can happen.

B.    They Didn’t Leave Him At The Door

  1. Fans will leave you at the door. We don’t need to be left at the door. We need to get in God’s presence. Stop letting people drop you off at the door.
  2. Somebody reading this, needs a miracle or something to happen for them. God says it will happen today! God doesn’t send his word by accident. He sends it at that right time and at the right place.
  3. This word is about to position you in the best season of your life.

V.               THEY WERE CREATIVE TO GET HIM TO THE CHRIST

  • Real friends will get you to Jesus, to get your miracle.

A.    Obstacles Are Nothing More Than Opportunities

  1. There is a book that is called, “Obstacle is a way”. In this book, it explains that Obstacles are not roadblocks. They are opportunities. It’s not about breakdowns, but instead
  2. The only way a miracle can happen is it has to be beyond something you can do.
  3. Shift your perspective. You’re in the prefect situion.
  4. They got him to the house but couldn’t get him through the door. You need people around you that can think. We need conversations about solutions, not people that just stand around, watching to see what you are going to do.
    1. The friends tried to get their friend through the door. Then they tried the window, and then they decided to do something unorthodox. They said let’s go and rip off the roof and let him down to Jesus.
  5. This is your roof ripping season. Everything that is trying to block your blessing needs to know that this is your rough ripping season.
  6. Back in the Bible days, you can look at the houses, the way you look at them today. Houses back then were built with ladders on the side. On top of house, there was mud, planks, and then beams.

B.    You’ve got to Do What You Never Did, Before You Ge What You Never Had Before

  1. You’ve got to be spiritual enough to reach for more. God closed this portal, because it is too low for you. Either you stay frustrated on this ladder or get on another level. God is calling you to another level. My praise and worship is going to another level!
  2. You get to other levels step by step, not by the elevator.
  3. When you get to another level, you have to be strong enough to rip the roof off. If you want a miracle at this new level, you’ve got to be willing to move the mess out of your life. Get the messy people out of your life. Be willing to say, “Don’t send me an email with mess in it”.
  4. At this level, you don’t have time for any mess.
  5. You have to be willing to show respect concerning how you move at this level. The friends knew they had to be careful with how they handled their friend on the cot. They had to come to a demonstration, not demolition. In other words, they didn’t want to interrupt the beams, out of fear of tearing the whole house down.
  6. Some people speak against structure. Jesus doesn’t go to houses where there is no structure. Stop creating things that don’t have structure.
  7. Just because you have structure doesn’t mean there is no room for your gift. They moved the guys between the beams. We are not trying to hinder your miracle, trying to get our miracle. It’s your season to receive a miracle.
  8. They let him down on the ropes at the feet of Jesus. Jesus said your sins are forgiven. Jesus wanted the haters to know that he was the one that forgave sins.
  9. In verse 11 of chapter 2, Jesus looked at him and said he wanted him to arise, take up his bed and go home. Take what was holding you, hold it, and then go home. You are leaving here better than you came! You came crippled but you will leave here walking.
  10. You’ve got to be willing to tell everyone what God has done for you.
  11. Just like Jesus did for the paralytic, God is going to give you your breakthrough immediately.
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Part II: Thankful For Those Who Stayed By The Stuff

Posted on August 16, 2024 by growintheword

 

Synopsis of Sermon 8.11.24

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

1 Samuel 30:9-10, 21-25

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.

21 Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.” 23 But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. 24 For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” 25 So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

I.            INTRODUCTION

  1. We are thankful for those who stayed by the stuff. There is a moment that hits where we realize that its all about gratitude. In this place, you are thankful for the stuff you took for granted. We’re thankful that we are in our right mind and that we atleast know who our enemies are.
  2. In this sermon you will discover how we should be thankful for the people in our lives. Lots of people are overlooked or devalued. God uses devalued people behind the scenes. There is a blessing in staying behind with the stuff.
  3. In this story today, David goes into battle and is victorious. He and his team then return to Ziglag. There, they discovered that their camp had been burned and their women and children had been taken. While they were out into battle, the Amalekites had come and taken all their stuff and their families.
  4. They saw their city in ruins, and they wept. When people are grieving, they need someone to blame. In this case, they blamed David. In fact, they wanted to stone him.
  5. David encouraged himself in the Lord. Have you ever had to encourage yourself? The scripture says David went to God and asked what they should do. He asked, “Should we accept this as our new reality, or should we go get our stuff?” God told David to go and pursue the enemy and He promised that he would recover it all.
  6. David gets his troops and tells them that they were going back to get their stuff back. David and his men began to pursue the Amalekites. When they came to the brook of Besor, David asked a question. He asked if anyone was tired? He wanted to give the tired men a chance to get out. 200 men said they were tired. They decided to stay behind. At this brook, David and his army, put their stuff down and David told the 200 to guard the stuff as the rest of them went back into battle.
  7. On the way, they ran into an Egyptian that told where the Amalekites were. David and his men were able to ambush them and get the victory. They not only got their stuff back, they got the enemies stuff too. Remember the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just.
  8. They are coming back with the stuff they got during the battle and they are on their way back to Ziglag. They had stuff enemy’s stuff and the their stuff too. At Besor, David said he had to divide all the stuff out among all the troops. Somebody in David’s camp asked, “Why should they divide their stuff with the 200 that didn’t go into battle with them”? David said to them, “What God has delivered unto us, the same blessing goes to those who stayed by the stuff”!
  9. It doesn’t matter if you are the 400 or the 200, you are due the same blessing! God wants to show you how to be thankful for those who stayed by the stuff.
  10. If you are a leader, this will be a leadership lesson. If you’re just a worker, this will be an encouraging word.
  11. People can have good intentions and still be exhausted.

II.            RECOGNIZE WHEN SOME ARE EXHAUSTED

  • They had to deal with this enemy over and over again. This is what makes us exhausted. We have to deal with the same stuff over and over again.

A.    Limited Capacity Doesn’t Mean Lousy Character

  1. Just because I can’t go on, doesn’t mean my character needs to be called into question. Everybody’s 100% is not the same. 200 soldiers stayed behind and 400 went back into battle.
  2. The 200 helped before, when they won the first battle, so just because they were too tired to go into the second battle, doesn’t mean they are bad now.
  3. Things we should remember:
  4. A Person’s History – The 200 helped before, so it doesn’t mean that they are bad now.
  5. A Person’s Heart – Thank God for them that can tell you the truth. If they are not able to continue, but they go with you anyway, they can slow you up. Its ok to tell a person that you are tired.
  6. A Person’s Honor – It’s always better for a person to be honest with you.

B.    I Would Rather You Be Honest With Me Than Hinder Me                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

  1. And the wicked men in the camp said, “You can’t give them what you give us”.

III.            REBUKE THE SPIRIT OF ENTITLEMENT

  • David understood the magnitude of what they were doing, by them staying with the stuff.

A.    There Will Always Be People Who Try To Determine What You Deserve

  1. You don’t own it. People feel because they’ve been with you longer, they feel they ought to have the best. Like in the story of the prodigal son, the father gave the son gifts for returning, but the brother that stayed was like, “How dare you do all of this, when I was here the whole time”!

B.    The Blessing Comes From God

  1. David says the blessing came from God. No one has a right to prevent the blessing of God from going to anyone. It is time for us not to hate on people that God wants to bless.
  2. They returned with all of it. There is enough blessings for everybody. Get your stuff, because I know after He blesses you, I move up a place in the line. That means, I’m next! What God does in the life of others, doesn’t diminish what he wants to do for us.

IV.            ROLES SHOULD BE SIGNIFICANT AND EFFECTIVE

  • Lay your hand on yourself and say, “I matter”. David realizes that everyone has a significant role to play.
  • We must recognize Capacity Based Delegation. Often our disappointment is based on our own anticipation. Instead of faulting people on who they are, believe them and characterize them on who they show themselves to be. You can’t make people be who they aren’t!
    • For example, if you are not good with kids, I can’t ask you to work with children.
    • If you are an introvert, you don’t need to be a receptionist. You would be running people off. You can’t put somebody in a space that isn’t’ organically who they are. God puts us where our capacity matches the assignment. For example, just because you can preach, doesn’t mean that you can pastor.

A.    Don’t Downplay Your Assignment

  1. Don’t let people downplay your assignment. There is value in staying by the stuff.
  2. Story: There is a great Pipe Organist that received this award for all his work and accomplishments. One thing that he said in his acceptance speech was that none of his accomplishments could have been achieved without the guy that turned the pages of music for him. There is a blessing in being behind the scenes.

B.    They Got Victory Without Being Vulnerable

  1. One of things we learned about leadership is you won’t catch us slipping the second time. The first time the Amalekites got their stuff while they were in battle. This time David said if anyone was tired, they could stay behind with the stuff. David wanted to repurpose them based on their capacity. At the brook of Besor, David put the 200 who were tired, watching the stuff. Now when they go fight for a second time, if the enemy tried to come back to their camp, they would have a rear guard. They would have David’s back.
  2. There is a blessing that is about to hit your life. There’s a blessing that is about to hit our house!

V.            REWARD WILL BE SHARED WITH EVERYBODY

  • God will bless you regardless of the opinions of others. When God gets ready to bless you, know that no devil in hell can stop it!

A.    Serving, Not Status, Gets God’s Attention

  1. If you ever learn this lesson, you will learn that it’s not about your title, it is about you gracefully serving. This gets God’s attention.
    1. Some people can’t even introduce themselves without titles. Why do you have to be Dr. James? Why can’t you just be James?
  2. When God called Abram and Joshua, He called them by name, not by their titles.
  3. God didn’t say he would make your title great. He said he would make your name great. God will exalt you if you will humble yourself. Serve when you are tired. Serve even when people don’t like you! Serve in season and out of season.

B.    What God Has For You Is For You

  1. God takes care of all of us. The spoils from the battle go for those not only in the battle, but also those behind the scenes.
  2. This is the season that God is about to make it up to you, because you stayed by the stuff. The same blessing he gave for the 400, He also has for those that stayed by the stuff.
  3. There are bench players or bench warmers. The NBA champions of the 2024 Boston Celtics, assembled a team of players like we’ve haven’t seen in a while. Have you heard of a player named Juan Morgan? Probably not, because he was not a starter, but he was on the Roster. He didn’t get in the game. But he was on the Roster.
  4. When the Celtics play their first home game, they will have a Ring Ceremony. They are all going to get their rings and although not a starter or a star, Juan Morgan will get a ring too. There is a thing called ring regardless. Jaun never got in the game, but he was on the Roster. When God passes out the blessings, he will give us a blessing too. All you have to do is be on the team!
  5. Your bible says, when David and his men, reconciled this and came back, David eventually became king of Judah and Israel. The bible says in verse 25, “so it was, from that day forward, he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day forward”. He made it a law. Whoever is on the roster, God makes provisions for the 200 as well as the 400.
  6. Your role was at practice. The job of the nonstarters is to practice with the starters. You make the starters better. When your turn comes, you will be thankful for the ones that made you better. Can your praise be great on the bench before God puts you in the game? Thankful for those that stayed by the stuff!

 

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Part II: Perfect Peace In An Imperfect Situation

Posted on July 19, 2024 by growintheword

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Synopsis of Sermon 7.14.24

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 

Isaiah 26:1-3 
In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks. 2Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. 3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

I.                INTRODUCTION

  1. One of the things that is so essential in a Christian’s life is consistency. This is the key to success. This also happens to be one of our challenges too. We vacillate between being on fire for our assignment and being too tired to do our assignment.
  2. When you understand consistency, you know it is a transferable trait. What makes us who we are as children of God, is we are who we are regardless as to what is going on around us.
  3. The challenge today is, how do we maintain consistency in an imperfect situation?
  4. When you read Isaiah chapters 24-27, you will see that it is about the Isaiah Apocalypse. In these days, it was prophesied about good over evil.
    1. What has occurred here is the same Israel that came out of Egypt, eventually split. It’s when the kingdoms were divided. Israel went one way, but Judah went another way.
    1. Isiah prophesied to them in the midst of their division. He began to share with them about perfect peace.
    1. Assyrian threat- They have the threat of being taken over by the Assyrians.
      1. Divine judgement and hope – On one hand, it looks like God is about to punish them, and then on the other hand, God is going to bless them.
      1. Political turmoil – Two world forces are trying to take over the world. Will it be Egypt or Assyrian?
      1. Spiritual decline – They have gotten into a pit and as a result, some of them have gone back into idolatry.
  5. God will keep you in perfect peace – This means that God will sustain you in mature peace.

II.               THERE IS A REASON FOR THE SONG OF PRAISE

  • Their songs pointed to their faith. They weren’t just songs.

A.    Our Song Points To Past Victories 

  1. It is an indication that we have not forgotten what God has done for us in the past. As a result, we show up giving God glory.

B.    Our Song Is A Preemptive Praise 

  1. Preemptive means praising in advance of the victory. The enemy looks at me, because I am celebrating before we even run the race.
  2. We know what ever situation we are in, we know God has already done it before.
  3. When you began to reflect on what God has done in your life, you don’t need any pumping or priming to praise the Lord!

III.               ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT YOUR STRENGTH MUST BE PROCLAIMED

  • Know who you are.
  • Isiah tells them that they are a fortified city. God is their defender!
  • God has given them spiritual walls. It might look like you are surrounded by the enemy, when you are actually being surrounded by God.

A.    Give Yourself Credit For What You’ve Survived 

  1. You’ve survived being broke, being sick, being jobless, and yet you are still here. Sometimes you just got to thank God that you are a survivor!

B.    You Define Your Reality 

  1. Don’t let other people do this. You define your own reality otherwise; the enemy will do it for you.
    1. Remember when Joshua sent out the spies to spy on the Promised Land, and they came back saying that the inhabitants of the land where there were giants and they looked like grasshoppers compared to the giants?
    1. Notice, the giants didn’t call them grasshoppers, they called themselves grasshoppers. If you don’t know who you are, you will let the enemy tell you who you are.
  2. You are a strong city. You are fearful and wonderfully made. You are the head and not the tail. You are a royal priesthood and chosen a generation.

IV.                THE RIGHTEOUS ARE SURROUNDED BY HIS PROTECTION

A.    God Has You Covered On All Sides 

  1. When you understand you are a strong city, you know that you are surrounded by his protection.
  2. God has placed this protective wall around you and you didn’t even realize it.
  3. Story: We love cars and how much technology has evolved throughout the years. One feature that has really been great for us is the 360 view. It is able to show you the car from the top down. This way you can see around the whole car on all sides. The thing that makes this great is, you can see in all of your blind spots.
    1. In like manner, God says He’s got you covered on all sides! He can help you navigate the blind spots!

B.    Access Is Only Granted To The Righteous 

  1. God will show you who has access.
  2. God’s protection is not only in what He does, but also who he keeps from you.
  3. It is important who gets in?
    1. The Right Morals – They need to believe like you do. If you love God, then they need to love God.
    1. The Right Motive – They’re not just trying to get next to you, just to use you.
    1. The Right Message – They speak the same. They speak God’s word like you do.
  4. God will keep you in perfect peace who’s mind is stayed on Him!
  5. The only enemy you got is between your ears. It’s your mind!

V.                YOU CAN REJOICE BECAUSE HE SUSTAINS OUR PEACE

A.    Through It All God Has Kept Me 

  1. Against every attack, God has sustained you. When you think of all that could have taken you out, you have to realize God kept you.
  2. God showed us who we were. He reminded us of our destiny.

B.    I’m Focused On Destiny And Not Distractions 

  1. In imperfect situations, it is easy to get distractions. The enemy is trying to make you think it is normal to be in a fear-based relationship. He has inverted the goodness of God to make you think something might happen. In other words, If something is going well, you fear something is going to happen. You think it is too good to be true.
  2. You worked too hard to get to a good season. You need to enjoy it! Don’t just wait for something bad to happen.
  3. This fear becomes your distraction. You start doubting what God can do. There comes a moment where you got to trust what God can do. What ever you’re going through, know that this isn’t God’s first rodeo.
  4. If God said he was going to heal you, it may take a while, but it’s coming.
  5. You have to keep your mind on Him. Mature peace comes when your mind is stayed on God.
  6. Story— There was a woman on the flight that abruptly closed her shade on the plane. It was during a time that they were experiencing turbulence. When asked why she did so, she said that she had a better experience flying, not being able to see what was going on outside.
    1. Later they noticed that this woman was staring at the Flight Attendant. When they asked why she was doing this, she told them that she knew enough to know to watch the actions of the Flight Attendant. As long as she was calm, she knew everything would be alright. If the Flight Attendant was worried, she knew she should be worried.
    1. We need to do the same as she did. When situations come, keep your eyes on the Lord!!
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Part I: The Peace Of An Overcomer 

Posted on July 12, 2024 by growintheword

Synopsis of Sermon 7.7.24

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 

John 16:33 
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

I.          INTRODUCTION

  1. Peace is not the absence of tension. It is the ability to recognize the presence of God in the midst of all that you go though, and the maturity to respond instead of
  2. Of all the things that Jesus could have left, He chose to leave us peace. When you have peace, it allows you to remain centered. It gives you a tactical advantage over the events that happen in your life.
  3. There will always be forces that try to impede our progress. The need for peace is great, because so much is coming at us, all the time.
  4. We should never go through life anxious or Anxiety is an enemy of peace. “There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.” – Mahatma Ghandi. Peace is the way to life.
  5. It is important to know that in the midst of all that’s happening in your life, you need to know that God is about to bring peace over your life. You can’t appreciate this, until you have gone through some stuff. Thank God for peace!
  6. In order to understand this word that Jesus speaks; the context must first be understood.
    1. In John 16, it is about Passover Peace. This story takes place during the feast of Passover which was a celebration of their liberation from their slavery in Egypt.
    2. Judah is under Roman occupation. The Roman Emperor was Nero, but he was called Caesar. This was not a name; it was a title. Pilate was the Governor. There was hostility going on concerning Jesus, because they felt that he was breaking Roman culture.
    3. Jesus came saying that He had come to establish His kingdom. They didn’t understand that His kingdom wasn’t of this world. All the people that followed Jesus had left the temple to follow Jesus. The religious leaders were angered to the point that they wanted to bring Jesus before Caesar to be crucified.
  7. Disciples Expectation – When Jesus said he was leaving, the disciples were worried about dealing with what Jesus had left behind for them, particularly the danger. Jesus told them that he was going to leave them the peace of an Overcomer.

II.          HE GAVE US HIS PROMISES

  • These things I have spoken to you… – God’s word is always a promise. He never sends His word without a

A.  Whatever He Tells You Is For Your Benefit 

  1. Jesus was aware of what the disciples would encounter, so He gave them what they needed, to get where they were going.
  2. Whenever you get a word, put it in the deep freezer. There will be a time that you will need to go back and recall that word.
  3. God gives us His word for your benefit.
  4. It Is Prophetic(expectation) – He’s getting you ready for what’s about to happen.
  5. It Is Preparatory(equipping) – He equips you to deal with what will happen.
  6. It Is a Paradigm(example) – He shows you how to get though it.1 Corinthians 10:11 NIV says 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.

B.  His Word Does Not Change When Your Situation Does 

  1. God is immutable. This means His words are
  2. The word of God stays constant. It lasts forever.
  3. God’s word is the same from generation to generation. Stay with the Word! No good thing will He withhold from you!!
  4. His words are the only thing that kept you. Everything you have is because of the word.

III.          WE HAVE GOD’S PRESENCE

  • He says in me, you’re going to have peace:
  • You have to have a desire to have a relationship with God. This is the only way to really appreciate this.

A.  The More You Grow In Him, The More You Know In Him 

  • Jesus took ordinary men on an extraordinary journey. Any relationship with Jesus in it, is always progressive.
  1. You Have An Anointing 
  2. Jesus said greater works than Him shall we do. When you grow in Him, you realize what you have in Him.
  3. The anointing is the presence of God on you.
  4. You Have Access 
  5. Romans 5:2 says through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

  6. Access was only given to priests in the old days. When we know who we are in God, we don’t need a middleman.
    1. If nobody comes to pray for us, we know that we can lay hands on our own children and we can pray over our own house.
  7. You Have Authority 
  8. You have to eventually get over what happens. You have to walk in your authority.
  9. We have the authority to run demons out of our presence.

B.  No Him, No Peace—Know Him, Know Peace 

  1. Peace does not exist without problems. You come to understand the peace while in the midst of the storm.
  2. Peace is my ability to remain calm in this storm. I act like a thermostat, not a thermometer. Thermometers react to the changes in the atmosphere. Thermostats can change the atmosphere!
  3. When you know what you have in Him you know about what Roman’s says. Romans 8:28 NKJV says “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” – When I look at how I respond now, that means that I have grown to respond to what I know and not what’s happening.
  4. Problems know how to fly. They will try to follow you wherever you go.

IV.          WE WILL GO THROUGH PROBLEMS

  • In this life, you will have problems:

Know that all your problems won’t stop, just because you’re in relationship with Christ.

A.  Nobody Escapes Trouble 

  1. Nobody escapes trouble. You have to have empathy. It is so easy for you to say, “That’s good for them”, when someone is going through problems, but know that everyone gets a turn to have troubles. You might be next.
  2. What you put out there, will come back into your own life. Everyone gets a turn at having trouble.

B.  Just Because You Have Trouble Doesn’t Mean It Has You 

  1. Overcoming peace looks like this, “I have the peace to understand why the trial came. Nothing happens in your life without God allowing it!”.
  2. It doesn’t happen, unless there is a lesson in it. No matter what happened, you survived it, so if you have a pulse, you ought to have praise!
  3. We Know It’s Just A Test – It lets you know where you are in your faith.
  4. We Know It’s A Part Of Our Trajectory– It happened so that you would be pushed into the direction God needed you to go.
  5. We Know It’s Temporary– It won’t last forever.
  6. How do we prove these 3 things?
  7. Test: Do you know how astronauts prepare for a mission? Before a mission, they undergo several tests and exercises designed to prepare them for where they are going.
  8. The countless things God is taking us through has nothing to do with our right now. It’s all about what God is taking me to.
  9. He has to train you on this level, for the next level. James 1:2 NKJV says 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, – Trouble produces the ability to be able to hang in there and do it.
  10. Trajectory – Before a launch, every detail must be taken into consideration. A lot of numbers determine the path of the ship. Everything that happens goes into putting the ship on course. If God gave back some of things you lost, you would not be going to where you are and you might not be on the path that you are on.
  11. It is temporary in nature. No one stays on the space station forever. It is never terminal; it is to get you back home.
  12. Our affliction is only for a moment.

V.          WE ARE GUARANTEED TO PREVAIL

  • When we overcome, it is because He overcame:

A.  He’s Already Defeated What’s Trying To Defeat You 

  1. There is no stone he has not conquered. There is no cross God has not conquered. He’s already overcome it. Therefore, you have to act like you know that you are going to overcome it.

B.    You Will Get Through This With Victory 

  1. God wants you to protect your peace. You stay up all night, because your anxiety won’t let you sleep.
  2. It’s not how fast you go through it. It’s how well you get through it.
  3. You don’t realize that God has toughened you up for it.
  4. You are an Overcomer – Revelation 12:11 says And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
  5. How do we overcome it? It is because of:
    1. The Blood Of The Savior– Jesus was the example. When Jesus died on Calvary, he shed his blood. This made him overcome death.
    2. God told the Children of Israel to put blood on the door posts, so that when the death angel came, it would see the blood and pass over them. The same blood in the Old Covenant, manifested in the New Covenant.
      1. That time you fell asleep behind the wheel and didn’t have a wreck was because of the blood! That time you beat cancer was because of the blood!
    3. The Blessing Of Our Stories– Revelation 12:11 KJV says 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.- He has overcome, that’s why we know that we will overcome.
    4. The enemy doesn’t want you to tell your story, because it will liberate someone else.
      1. We have this navigational app called Waze. It not only tells us where to go, it also tells us if there is a car on the side of the road or a pothole up ahead. It does this by use of Satellite.
      2. We wonder however, how the satellite can tell the difference between a car or a pothole? The answer is, because someone ahead of us reported it.
  • If you will notice, Waze will ask you, “Is the car still there?” Or “Is the pothole still there? We have an obligation to answer this. What you are doing is warning the person behind you, because you benefited from the report of someone that has already gone through what you are going through. In like manner, we have an obligation to tell our story, because we have already gone through what someone behind us is going through now! We have the peace of an overcomer.
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