As well so if God is leading you uh to become part of our family our community please please do not hesitate amen and we have a new members class that we will take you through so you can continue to understand sort of the journey that you
Become a part of I would just suggest God has not designed us to Journey alone we’ll talk about this a little bit more in our time today but we’re just in a time period where I’m just concerned about our culture we’re in a culture of
Such individual ual ISM and it is one of the one of the wounds of Co is that often we want to design now even what it means to know Jesus in isolation as we do everything in isolation but but we say devotion to one another because that’s how we begin to
Grow from being here with one another are we on yet we are on welcome you all welcome very much to those of you who are online welcome to Christ Our King Community Church we’re in a series and we’re going to be in this series for a while this
Year our theme this year is freedom and last time we were together we took a look at First Peter chapter 5 and this is the end of the letter of First Peter because the whole letter is really a letter that deals with freedom well come with me to 1 Peter
Chapter 5 beginning with verse 10 and if you have your copy of God’s word oh I’m sorry if you’re online I keep forgetting uh and your children have to stay with you but for right here our children are released the children’s church so you’re going to hear a little
Background music uh as our children go to children’s church for those of you online I’m so excited I didn’t even set the children free this morning and we talking about Freedom thank you for the leaders of children’s church you all have been doing an incredible
Job if you are with us if you are with us then would you come with me please to First Peter chapter 5 1 Peter chapter 5 please stand beginning with verse 10 and after you have suffered a little while the God of all Grace who has called you to his eternal glory in
Christ will himself restore confirm strengthen and establish you to him be the Dominion forever and ever amen th SI by silverness a faithful brother as I regard him I’ve written briefly to you exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God stand
Firm in it she who is at Babylon who is likewise chosen send you greetings and so does Mark my son greet one another with a kiss of love peace to all of you who are in Christ father we thank you for this morning and Lord thank you for what
You’ve been doing and what you are doing in our journey of worship today God thank you for our children thank you that children even have such a a longing for being ministered to through your word word that that God they’re a little frustrated when they’re not
Released God may you create even in us a desire to hear what it is you’re going to say to us this morning and what it is that you’ve been saying I pray Lord that by your spirit that you even touch on some things that you’ve been saying this
Week father we know that in this moment of worship is really Lord just a continuation of what you’ve been doing and may it even be a catalyst for us thinking and seeing things differently for us to be open to you being at work in our lives because you are our King
Now speak through me in spite of me in Jesus name amen I really want to begin as we are in this month I want to begin with an image that is always a difficult image for me sometimes in this month I wonder if we maybe don’t want to deal with black history month
Because it’s just a reminder of the whole American story in the whole American story especially when it comes to those of African descent is an American story that is that reminds us of pain it it reminds us I would even say why would this be appropriate for us here on a Sunday
Morning least some who may watch this online think that we’re politicizing something no it’s just a reminder of the deep need of the Gospel it’s a reminder for us as well to not turn an American reality into idolatry and it’s remind of us to understand that the cross needs to have
The right place make sure that it dominates the flag and that the flag doesn’t direct the cross come on now so the reason why that image is important as well and let me just say this background you didn’t ask for it but we say why is it the shortest month and
Yeah we can talk about that and make jokes about it but when Carter G Woodson came up with black history the father black history he was very strategic because it was the month that had once again the birthday days of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln and at that
Time those were two who were known one for political realities and political leadership but the other one who had to convince Abraham Lincoln of the reality of the need and so you have both the political and the philosophical that comes together and therefore because of that this month is a good month to
Celebrate because this month is not refined define history to just one moment you can’t do that with any people but as we think about that when I think about the ships and when I think about the slave ships and in that image you actually there’s actually a strategy
To make the bodies so small that you could pack human beings together and this was a slave trade that wasn’t just in American history it’s in global history because the slave trade once again began with the Portuguese and other places in the Caribbean and and what even though even though when Europe
When Britain decided to end the slave trade America kept on producing slaves but just found other ways of manufacturing human beings other than on a ship maybe we want to forget about that but for us as Believers we can’t forget about that and we don’t have to
Forget about that here’s why because the very fact that we’re able to talk about it have hope about it and this is where we’ve even misunderstood some things this is where once again even Christianity even though it was shaped for its own means by those who wanted to justify slavery that the same
Christianity one was able to see the truth and able to see the truth not always from the enlightenment of slaveholders but it’s where we even misunderstand when you read your Bible correctly that once again Africa is in the Bible from the very beginning it’s always fascinating to me and it’s sad
For those who even believe this idea of Christianity being a white man’s religion I think it’s because you’ve never really read the text cuz when you read the text Africa is all throughout the text even in the very beginning when you look at the location and even when you think of
Exodus you’re in Africa when you’re thinking about Egypt the most powerful civilization but see maybe we didn’t want to teach that because we taught these crazy ideas that someone was less than because of where they were from or the color of their skin and guess what
They were ideas that really took root in the 1600s 1700s for hundreds of years in America that’s why it’s dangerous to have an idea not interrogate with the truth because many people are listening to ideas rather than truth and so when we begin to come to this moment how do you
Explain how do you explain the sanity as you listening to history and as you’re going to see all sorts of images in this month how do you explain how there’s still a people who kept their sanity and kept their hope how do you explain that people were still able to go on and
Worship and love him and trust God how do you explain that somehow there’s a genius that psychologically even though my master is wrongly interpreting the text and says that I’m supposed to be enslaved that that same group of people were able to go into the hush Arbors and
Understand that Jesus of scripture when you study the story is a liberator how can you explain that why are we even still talking about that I’ve studied enough and many of you studied enough as well to get angry but what keeps my anger and what gives me
Hope is the same thing that gave my forefathers and those of us who are now de churching those of us as well who are de again deconverting deconversion and all the other ideas that we’re trying to move away from well this month you can’t move away from that the explanation of
Of reality of living full life for many of African descent came from an africanamerican church that was rooted in Christianity and what I would say is the very story of this month is real Grace real Grace only way you can explain it is real Grace and the only way you can explain
Freedom freedom that God intended I don’t think we will experience true Freedom until we live in and by real Grace the book of First Peter is a book of letter that is a challenging letter it’s counterintuitive and we talked about this last week but the whole letter that Peter is writing when you
Look in chapter one let me just read the first verse to you Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who are elect Exiles of the dispersion in pontis galatia caposa Asia and Bia according to the for knowledge of God the father in The sanctification of the spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ
And for sprinkling with his blood May Grace and peace be multiplied to you Peter is saying he’s writing to people who are being scattered to people who literally are Going Through Torture all throughout the Roman Empire it’s a letter that would travel to different places because the context of this time
Is a king Nero who is a wicked King it’s a it’s a ruling reigning reality of Roman Authority that are abusing Christians that are persecuting Christians and in the midst of that Peter is writing a letter to make sense of their suffering but what he writes just challenges it’s
Counterintuitive to us because Peter gives the idea that suffering is a part of how life really works that you cannot Escape suffering Peter does not give them a way out but a way to press in to Jesus and what he does is in chapter one he explains here that God uses suffering
To refine them and in chapter one he explains that even in the midst of this people were being scattered living in an unfair situation Jesus is our living hope so that we will have hope and a holy life in in chapter one and part of chapter
Two he explains how God uses the testing of your trials and your suffering to refine you and come on let’s just be honest for a moment you don’t know what you made of until you go through something on now and so he talks about that and in in
Chapter two he talks about our submission our submission and another word that we don’t like in our culture that’s counterintuitive is this is that you don’t have to fight you can submit because of who really is in control yes but then he begins to continue to
Explain that even you the way you live in the midst of the challenge brings honor and glory to him and he finishes in his last couple of chapters from chapter 3 to chapter 5 is that we have our sufferings and Christ’s sufferings as well and all throughout this letter he
He talks about the the grace to go on through the Suffering The Grace To Live Faithfully in the midst of success in the midst of the suffering and then now we’re going to look the grace to stand in the suffering and let me just say
This Grace we hear the word uh all the time but Grace is simply unmar favor Grace you’re getting something that you don’t deserve the the place where most of us remember this is in Paul’s writings in Ephesians chapter 2: 8 and9 for by Grace you’ve been saved through
Faith and that not of yourselves it’s a gift of God not as a result of Works least anyone should boast in the original language it means favor that you don’t deserve Grace so now I want to close sort of this idea of suffering it will continue but I want to
Look at the closing point of Peter’s letter a point that I will be honest that like any letter or it’s like sometimes any movie those of us who are movie people when the credits get ready to roll you walk out notless it’s a Marvel movie CU if it’s a Marvel movie
You know there’s something that’s going to happen at the end of the credits and so you really don’t even pay attention to where they’re thinking and they did this and everything and what have you most of us get up walk out the movie is over well when you’re reading the
Scripture and a letter every word has a reason and a purpose the ideas are not over because when they receiv received this letter because it was they were suffering in pain and they were listening to someone who Lov them y’all know how you used to read your love
Letters some of us who when we had our relationship you would interpret every word even before the relationship was defined oh she said dear oh my gosh and you just filled in the blank dear she really missed me and everything and and you poured over every
Word some of us it was an email and a text I bless you all I can say it’s sad first lady and I we wrote letters to each other and and this is where you put Greek and Hebrew ideas and you don’t even know Greek and Hebrew well when she
Said this she really meant that you know it just made it good you poured over every word you can believe that they these suffering people they’re pouring over every word and I would even suggest as part of what gets in the way of us even spending
Time in God’s word and even having an interest in the word because there’s something about I’ve looked at in my own life pain makes me want to get more perspective but when there’s no pain I often don’t get perspective well first of all when you
Look here at this letter just at the end of the letter here notice how he is writing here and you see the theme in chapter 5 at verse 10 he even explains he’s the god of all Grace you see that idea there now ain’t it fascinating he’s
Ending now with the ideas that he began the letter with because you know in that greeting in the letter he says Grace and peace be to you he’s now ending with something that they would need it’s almost as if he’s giving them in the beginning and at the end what these
Suffering struggling Believers would need but now he says here in his final greetings he said say he tells us who who it came by he says by S silverness and silverness his his name is really Silas it’s pronounced in Silas in other places where you see in the text which
Is a shorter form of his name so you might have heard of Silas but notice what he says in verse 12 by sylvenus a faithful brother as I regard him I’ve written briefly to you comma first of all he’s saying these words are important and I’m sending them to you
Through somebody you can trust trust and when you look here in verse 12 he says here a faithful brother as I regard him he says this has been given to you by someone you can trust listen it doesn’t matter that you have a messenger who you can
Trust and one of the things about Silas is if you know him Silas is the one who when you look in the book of Acts in Acts chapter 16 Silas is the one who journeyed with Barnabas when Paul and Barnabas split up Silas is the one as
Well I’m sorry he traveled with Paul cuz later in Acts chapter 16 Silas was the one who went to prison with Paul Silas is the one who spent who was threatened because he joury with Paul ain’t it fascinating when you take the Journey of Walking With Jesus that
Sometimes you may not have a headline but very much they’re important people who are in the journey and he’s saying you can trust this with what has been said to you cuz there is a faithful brother the character of the messenger matters and it’s a character that was a
Proven character because Silas himself had went through suffering but I want you to see first of all he identifies something he says I’ve I have written briefly to you let me just stop here for a second so this he calls this brief he calls five chapters
Brief this is just a short letter and in reality and and again I thought about doing this and some pastors have done this of just spending the day and read the whole letter read all five chapters you all we would get it done believe it
Or not in in about 15 minutes see some of us our mindsets have so geared that the word of God takes long and hard and you can’t get into it but when Peter wrote this in the original Contex he said this is a small letter this is like
Romans this is a small letter and what he’s saying I wrote briefly here’s the other thing that I would invite you to online even here presently I would invite you sometime before this day is over read all five chapters at one time that’s the way it was designed to
Be read and understood but now we look at it bit by bit because there’s culture translation and other things here he says I’ve written to you briefly look at what he says here EX Ting and declaring that this is the true grace of God here’s the first thing he does he identifies true
Grace real Grace when he says here that I I have written briefly to you declaring that this what’s the this is the true grace of God so when he says briefly to you we know that what is he referring to that in order for you to understand the true
Grace of God it’s everything that I’ve covered in the first uh five chapters he’s explaining now the true grace of God he wants them to know something well even the idea that there’s a true grace of God means that I don’t want you to live by a false idea of the grace of
God see one of the things is just because you say the word grace or we use the word grace in our mission statement or you hear it over and over again Peter is saying I’ve written this so that you would understand true Grace because many of us
If we’re not careful even though we say okay right God’s favor isn’t anything that I deserve but if we’re not careful our hearts and our minds begin to move to false Grace H how do you know you’re beginning to move to false Grace here’s how cuz you you actually think there’s something
That you can do to earn favor with God and and listen you’ve got this grace that really is true Grace because maybe you heard someone say you got to do your part and then God GNA do his part that’s a transaction real Grace is unmar favor
Real Grace is there’s nothing you can do to earn your salvation that’s another false Grace that we have you only have a Grace to save you in your salvation to get you from hell but you don’t have Grace to save you in your sanctification cuz when we’re talking about the gospel
We’re not just talking about you’re not going to hell God is not talking about direction is the why he saved you he didn’t save you just for Destination but he saved you for development of a relationship and some of us only got a Grace that can get us to heaven and that
Ain’t true Grace Peter says I mean Paul said work out your salvation with fear and trembling now hear me he was not saying don’t have Grace but he’s saying your salvation has to be worked out doesn’t say work for and this where we missed that but you do
It with fear and tring here’s why because yes there is justification and the grace of God has Justified me I will never be able to say it’s because of something I’ve done listen if you think that when you get before glory and you say well God because I was a good person
I did my best you don’t know true Grace come on now but then here’s the other thing even now when you look at how you live because salvation is not just justification when he says work out your salvation there’s also sanctification you need a Grace in order to walk with
Jesus this is why I got to pray I even need to pray 6:30 on Friday mornings even if I don’t like the prayer time here’s why I need Grace in order to walk with Jesus I need Grace in order to live the way he intended for me to live
Listen it’s not just saving grace is sanctifying Grace that you also need which is true Grace if you only think about the grace of God that you are saved and thank God you don’t have to go to hell then here’s the problem you’ve got false Grace cuz true true Grace
Allows you to hear difficult things and not come up with false gra you can’t judge me you’re right I can’t judge you for salvation but suddenly I can pay attention and look at your life and see that your sanctification journey is kind of ragged and you need some people to
Help you just like we all do but here’s why I can hear it Grace cuz I know as you’re talking to me you’re not judging me if you’re a Believer cuz you don’t get you need Grace as well too when it’s true Grace then guess what you understand I’m not
All of that as well not only does he say that but the other thing as well that we’ve got to be careful of is we want to replace grit for Grace at the end of the day cuz Pastor white God don’t give you nothing for
Free and you just got to grind it out I I mean the Christian life is hard yeah I got to get yeah the Christian life isn’t hard the Christian Life Is Impossible it’s impossible but here’s how I can walk through it it’s called Grace not grit don’t get me wrong there’s a book
Called grit despine but but when it comes to what it means to live life it is Grace and why do I say it didn’t grit it’s Grace cuz some of us myself included I’ve failed and said it’s too late I can’t go anymore I’m quitting and
You know the only reason I hadn’t quit Grace yes yes I am still and you’re watching me online I’m still your pastor not cuz I’m grit oh I know but you were call uh that don’t keep me after some cuz when you move and you start getting intimate in community and
Ministry some of you can say Amen everybody here is looking uh looking just straight ahead and real serious for those of you who are online but but you start getting involved in people’s lives you you start really loving and caring for people you start really getting vulnerable for people you start
S living out what the text says with people and you know what ends up happening grit will not get you through you start having to forgive people you didn’t know you going to have to forgive you start getting talked about Scandal I used to hear people say
I’ve been talked about old church talked about scandalized brutalized they even don’t even know my name I thought they were talking about non-christians I a know they were talking about Believers but can I tell you what it get me through Grace what stops you from K quitting in
Your marriage guess what Grace it is not grit cuz you have not married spouse that are good enough to make you hang on I know they look good for one moment and that one day as they walk down the aisle but then when you become a Believer and
You realize that you didn’t marry a hero but you married a human that has a depraved nature just like you do and guess what your grit won’t make it work but let me tell you what to make it work you’ll come back even when you quit
Here’s how Grace cuz when you get in any relationship you begin to see you can’t control a person and they go crazy and you didn’t even know they were going to go they are not what you thought and guess what that doesn’t just apply to spouses has some children on
Now let me look straight ahead and get Cal cuz there’s some parents whose children are right in the next door and so let me say it quietly but you read all the books you went to the conference some of you even thought let me speak to everybody that if you just homeschool
And kept them out of the secular public school that somehow that was going to save you and guess what you realize you need Grace you need Grace to continue to believe that God’s going to do a work in their life you need Grace to trust him
For a future that you can’t control cuz you checked the box and you did everything but you know what I’m learning here it is Grace and that’s what Peter is explaining here that true Grace he says here I’m declaring that this is the true grace of God and y’all I’m I’m passionate because
I begin to realize it’s easy to start living by false Grace especially when things don’t turn out the way you thought and especially when you’re not even who you thought you going to be let’s not talk about somebody else some of us thought that we were going to be
Fine by the time we got 40 and then okay well surely 50 I’ve going to learn my lessons well I know 60 is going to be a breeze let me just be honest there’s some other 60 year olds who might not want to be honest can I
Just tell you something it was the grace of God that saved me uh at 12 and it’s the grace of God that’s continued to keep me at 62 going on 63 Paul says that’s why I want you to understand the true grace of God and the true Grace you
Got to go through first Peter the true Grace comes when you really understand that it’s a fiery furnace that he used to refine you as he says in 1 Peter chapter 1 the true Grace happens when you understand in a in in 1 Peter chapter 2 ver9 you’re a chosen race a
Royal priesthood a holy nation a people for God’s Own possession to proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light you don’t experience true Grace if you don’t know who you are in Christ so I used to think that Amazing Grace how sweet the
Sound that saved a rich like me that well that’s when I get real bad now I realize it’s amazing grace period and what he says in verse 10 he’s the God of all Grace that’s true Grace he’s not just the god of Saving Grace he’s the god of San sanctifying Grace
And he’s also the god of Grace when I see him face to face when you and I wake up in his presence it will be because of real Grace we experience true Freedom when we live by real Grace but then secondly secondly he tells us to do something
That help us understand as well you’re not alone look look at what he says in verse 13 uh she who is at Babylon who is likewise chosen sends you greetings and so does Mark my son now I’m only going to focus on one part of that but Babylon
And and commentaries say well was he talking about Rome or was he actually talking about another Babylon could have been but all he’s saying is to these people who are struggling who’ve been displaced and who’ve been scattered by the Roman Empire that you’re not the only one suffering and part of what becomes
Important is if we’re going to have real Grace is you need to understand you’re not the only one who’s been chosen you’re not the only one going through that listen you are not alone and that is Grace that is why I’m thankful that we have places and where we can have
Real conversation cuz when I look at what some of you have been through I realize They’re Not Alone look I need a story where there have been the impossible this and some of y’all have some stuff that just sitting up here looking good as if nothing has ever
Happened in your life and listen there’s some of us who just we don’t need to get nosy but we just need to know we not alone in this some of you who’ve gone through the divorce could help some of us out and I hope you’ve got enough
Grace that hadn’t shamed you because now you’re living the way God intended for you to live and you have hope there’s some people who need to hear and understand that you are not Alone but then secondly finally he tells them to do one more thing he says I want you to stand firm in true Grace look look at what he says here he says stand firm in it the best way I can say what it means to stand firm in Grace I want you to
Look at this image right here this makes no sense to me this this is they got a real competition where people actually stand and they smack each other and is how hard you can take the smack don’t nobody get any ideas but it’s just crazy I mean you
Don’t have people that get up there and they just you know and I just go I wouldn’t want to go first first of all I won’t be doing it anyway cuz and here’s what they do they go and and they they hold the table and they just look at
Each other and then the person goes back bam and then you see the brother struggle and everything and and it just looks crazy but here’s what they’re doing they are standing firm Peter says stand firm in the true Grace you getting ready to get smacked uh you getting
Ready to go through some things in life you getting ready to experience some stuff but listen when you stand firm in true Grace you can endure the smack is it going to hurt yes it’s going to hurt listen is it going to leave some prints on your face yes it’s going to leave
Some PRS on your face but I got good news for you I’m still standing stand firm he says in the true grace of God true Grace transforms you true Grace takes you through the fire but guess what you may know I’ve been in the fire
But I come out and the Bible says we come out like pure gold true Grace that’s why I get excited you all that yes life has some problems and pains but true Grace takes you through the problems and pains and some of y’all smack when you look at it some of them
Wobbling we didn’t know if you’re going to make it but I got good news for you when Jesus got smacked when he went down we didn’t know we going to make it and then 3 days later he rose again from the dead and guess what if you ever watch it
The brother who gets up and didn’t fall down okay it’s my turn now and I love the fact that we have Victory that’s in Christ Jesus we can resist him and God says you keep holding on to True Grace and we can show Victory we can show what
It looks like to get smacked and they keep on moving forward that is true real Grace what is our assignment stand firm and often he reminded him of that earlier casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you stand firm cuz you got Grace but stand firm in your
Grace and many of us want to stand firm not in you got saved by grace but you standing firm in everything else he says stand firm in Grace don’t stand firm in your circumstances that you can make work your way don’t stand firm in your economic situation that you
Can provide for stand firm in what in the true Grace that we have in Jesus Christ and the problem is we often try to stand firm in so many other different things I’m going stand firm in my own self- efforts I got this near God thank you
But I got this and it says no stand firm in the true Grace that is in him but now this last thing he tells us to do in these last uh two verses here he says greet one another last verse verse 14 how do we respond how do we stand firm
Here’s how you do it verse 14 greet one another with a kiss of Love real Grace the assumption is you’re connected with somebody else real Grace not fake Grace real Grace assumes that part of God’s grace part of the unconditional love part of the unconditional favor is we have the grace
To still come together and be together even though we come in with wounds and challenges what does he tell us to do greet one another don’t just come but greet one another here’s the other thing about real Grace is real Grace causes you to connect not disconnect greet one another how do you
Greet one another and I don’t miss this I will do some interpretation with a kiss of Love real Grace so so don’t think oh oh uh oh Pastor white does this mean I I already don’t like it’s a hugging church now y’all gonna start kissing uh so let’s this is where cultural context
Comes into play and this is also where this is not a sexual thing and often whenever we see language this is not an eroticize reality this was just a part of their cultural greeting this was a part of their cultural greeting that men and women would do because there was a
Meaning with that greeting that the best way since we since we currently meet here in the Omega house I it’s what came close to my mind with fraternities and sororities again I never pledged a fraternity but I’ve always just been attracted to and wondered that they would always come together and then they
Had a hand shake and if I knew there was certain Greek here I would have you demonstrate but we have time and then they come together and they had a little secret handshake and I used to go I don’t care what y’all doing just shake hands
He’s like please you know and you went through all of that just so y’all could go and da but they would get Brothers again they get close and they do their secret handshake and they would do that whenever they greeted another brother they had something that set them apart
That says this is my brother or this is my sister there was these things what Peter is getting after here because of real Grace and because of who you are when they’re Believers greet one another with a kiss of Love why peace to all of
You who are in Jesus Christ if you’re a Believer we should have an intimate greeting with one another you ain’t got to come up with a handshake here’s what our greeting is is that we get close enough to one another cuz in order for
You to kiss me you got to get close to me you said pastor white that’s a little bit too I don’t do public affection he’s not talking about public affection here he’s talking about here that your attitude is one of affection when you are with one another greet one another
And this is what makes it real not with a selfish kiss don’t be kissing me because you want something from me don’t just greet me because oh this is my time I at least want to say hello now give me a holy kiss a set aart kiss we should
Because of real Grace we should have a set aart affection for one another and if you know real Grace you would have a set aart affection for one another ain’t it fascinating though how it can be perverted cuz for those of us who know our Bibles when Judas went to betray
Jesus he betrayed him with a kiss real Grace have you greeting one another in a very powerful intimate way because real Grace this is where Freedom comes from because it says we need one another then finally there’s one more thing he says he ends with this and when he says greet one another
With a kiss of love that word is not AOS it’s agape and when it’s Agape it means unconditional so the other thing about our greeting with one another not cuz I need to get something from you I I don’t need to say hello cuz I
Hey can you can you let me hold a few and I know some of y’all don’t know that that’s old school let let me interpret cuz some of y’all got family members you know hey what’s going on cuz or hey let me be careful cuz some of my family
Member might be watching this I can’t believe I was asking to let me hold a few when it say let me hold a few they come up on you when they want some let me say this quietly some of y’all got children that roll that
Way how oh you look so good today not they my kids are old they know better they you know they compliment you and you what you want that ain’t what he’s talking he’s saying greet one another with real love unconditional love greet one another because you know what there’s nothing I
Can give you and guess what there’s nothing I really can give you but what we have is Grace and we greet one another because we set apart but finally he says this peace to all of you who are in Christ Jesus why does he end with that that’s the last
Phrase that he uses why would he end with this phrase because real Grace real Grace gives you a freedom and the real Freedom that we have is peace uh that word peace is it it means to bring together that which has been divided it means peace between he says
Again peace to all of you where who are in Christ Jesus listen here is real Grace real Grace means there’s peace that’s only found one place in Christ Jesus can I just say to us the freedom that we’re looking for we just want peace and most of us if you look at
What’s going on inside of our world we wonder can we ever have peace again real pieces that which is fractured begins to come it is coming together real pre peace does not happen simply because that I can orchestrate it or manufact have you ever wondered why you really
Thought and this is what gets you even frustrated that you thought that when you got a certain thing you’re going to have peace and you didn’t if you found the right place you’re G to have peace and you didn’t you found the right mate and you didn’t you got the right job and
You didn’t that’s why again when you think about it some of us and I I’m I’m not minimizing but some of the depression that we’re going through is because we keep trying to find something that can only be found in one place and this is even Believers he says here scattered Exiles
Peace to all of you not when Nero gets out of power see here’s what’s interesting here we want peace when I’m released from my circumstances we can have peace when my problems are solved ain’t it interesting how angry we get upset with God when we’re going through difficult
Circumstances cuz we think peace is found when my circumstances is gone peace is there when my job comes through peace is there when my spouse start acting right peace is there when I get a different diagnosis but what does he say to them what does he end the letter with
He doesn’t promise them that you’re going to get out of Exile as a matter of fact he doesn’t even tell them when the Exile is going to be over he doesn’t even tell them when Nero’s not going to be in power he doesn’t even answer that
Prayer as a matter of fact he doesn’t even do one miracle in this letter and say that your dead person that neero killed unfairly he’s going to be brought to justice but what is he end with peace to all of you where who are in Christ
Jesus we keep trying to find our peace in other places and the only place you’re going to find peace is in Christ and some of us we have missed real Grace cuz real Grace doesn’t give you peace when the circumstances is over real Grace doesn’t give you peace when the
Diagnosis goes your way real Grace doesn’t give you peace because now everything works out but real Grace gives you peace he says peace that’s in Christ Jesus and I’m not Trying to minimize anyone’s pain but you might be looking for peace rather than accepting the peace that you already have in Christ
Jesus and I’m talking to Christian people who somehow are upset and bothered that somehow God is coming through God says not coming through I’m already here he says I told you in Hebrews 13:5 I’ll never leave you or forsake you you looking for pieces from your circumstances I want to give you
Peace in the midst of your circumstances you follow a Christ who demonstrates that when you look at the cross have you ever wondered why Jesus was so chill that Jesus was so chill even though they his own man denied him three times Peter who wrote this and Jesus is so chill you
All he’s watching Peter weep Jesus Judas who kep and betrayed him all of his disciples left him and Jesus is Chill even when he’s against power and authority he has to say to my boy you have no power unless my father gives it to you and Jesus is CH do what you got
To come to do that’s the Christ that you serve you all he’s even chilled on the cross you all here he is dying on a cross and they’re trying to talk look if I’m suffering and in pain don’t talk to me and Jesus says to him this day you’ll
Be with me in Paradise he doesn’t even defend himself with words he’s quiet and the only time his peace was interrupted is is when peace really is threatened and his peace was threatened remember peace means being divided relationships being broken that’s why anytime you’re in a broken situation you don’t have no
Peace the only time he didn’t have that peace is when he would shout out these words Eli Eli my God my God why has Thou forsaken me and you know why his relationship his peace was interrupted cuz he was purchasing your peace he was purchasing
My peace and he lost his peace so that we could have the pits of peace and so we could have real [Applause] Grace So as we walk through this time my hope for us is that rather than a fake Grace that as Peter says here we’ll have real Grace
Gra may we stand firm in it what are you standing in right now are you standing in the real Grace that’s in God that gives you a perspective that that gives you a freedom like No One Believes are you understanding that we keep warning what God has already given
Because we keep trying to find it in some place other than in Christ just want to close and if my brother’s watching I have to say this carefully it it’s interesting to me again music and songs anybody heard of sevilia Martin sevilia Martin wrote the lyrics to a
Song that I used to hear my mother couldn’t sing but she would always sing this song when there were difficulties in her life especially when my father who struggled with alcoholism and and I used to Wonder mom why are you singing cuz Dad has some broken stuff going
On and I found out that the the song that she used to sing was written by sevilia Martin and here’s what let me give you a little bit of background on this song it was early in 1905 that her husband they were sojourning in New York and they kind
They had this deep friendship with a couple named Mr and Mrs D little true story but they were true saints of God Mrs doitt had been bedridden for over 20 years her husband was an incurable uh he had an incurable crippling disease that he had to live in
A wheelchair and he used to go back and forth to his business in a wheelchair but despite their afflictions and he would take care of her as she’s in the bed from his wheelchair true story despite their conviction they live a peaceful Christian life and they ended
Up with minister to anyone who knew them one day when Sevilla was visiting them uh her and her husband just commented on how they always had hope and they say what’s the secret and here’s what Mr Doolittle said and Mrs doitt they both repli here’s our secret His Eye Is on the
Sparrow and I know he watches me that simple expression caused Sevilla to pin these words when should I feel discouraged and why should the shadow Shadows come and why why should my heart my heart feel lonely and long for heaven in Heaven’s home yes when Jesus Jesus is
My portion a constant friend a conscious friend is he oh His Eye Is on the Sparrow and yes I know he watches over me and my mom would sing this part loud I sing sing I Sing Because I’m happy I sing I sing because I’m free cuz I know
I know his eyes is on the sparrow and I know he watches over me she had peace that I didn’t understand and I Now understand why she would sing this song My Hope for us this morning as you’re listening to this God continues to give you peace why cuz his eyes on the
Sparrow that is from Matthew chapter 6 God continues to give you peace why cuz he’ll never leave us or forsake us God continues to give us peace he is the Prince of Peace God gives us peace because he rose again from the dead God sees your situation but please real
Grace is a God that gives peace that the only way you can explain it is his grace so father thank you that just as your eye is on the sparrow your eye is on us as well and God we sing why cuz we’re happy not cuz the situation changed and I
Thank you that I’ve had family members and who model that she would still sing when I just thought there should be more tears but it’s because she understood that peace is only found in Jesus Lord I Thank you that even this month we’re going to celebrate a legacy of people
Who’ve gone through bruises hurts and pains because they understand there’s peace that is in Jesus God would you help us to be obedient to what Peter is saying here would you help us to get connected to one another would you help us to stand strong not in our strength God we can’t
Control how the situation going to turn out but God you’re the one that’s in control thank you for your grace and your peace in Jesus name amen I’m just quiet because I want to give the spirit time to
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