1 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:04,920 We're going to start in John 15 today. 2 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:08,280 So if you can, please turn there and if I can ask you to please 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:10,880 keep your Bible open today. We're going to be going back to 4 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,280 the Scripture quite a few times. So when I've read the first 5 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:14,640 part, please don't close your Bible. 6 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:18,040 And then I'm going to be using some other scriptures in 7 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:19,720 between. They'll come up on the screens. 8 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,840 But if you can just keep your Bible open by John 15, John 16, 9 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:24,880 we're going to be going back to that quite a few times. 10 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:28,760 So for those of you who've been coming here for a while, I'm 11 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:31,560 going to just quickly do this. So for maybe there's someone 12 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:33,160 who's here for the first time today. 13 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:37,240 But we've been preaching through the book of John and the series 14 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:39,480 has been called Encounters with Jesus. 15 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:42,680 And we've been looking at all of the different encounters that 16 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,320 people had with Jesus in the book of John and how that 17 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:48,480 actually changed them and how it changed their lives. 18 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:52,000 And a couple of weeks ago, Stephen preached out of John 9. 19 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:56,280 And you know, Stephen, he likes his statistics and he really, 20 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:58,200 have you not noticed? It's amazing. 21 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:02,320 But he he quoted this statistic that said that there's a 22 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:05,200 worldwide what they are calling a silent revival happening. 23 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:09,240 Hello. And this silent revival, they 24 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:12,200 call it a silent revival because it's people are flocking back to 25 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,480 the church all over the world. But it's not because of some big 26 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:18,480 preacher like a Billy Graham or some move of the Holy Spirit. 27 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:20,880 People actually just being drawn back to the church. 28 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:22,760 And that's why they call it a silent revival. 29 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,560 But then he went on to say that this same study found that only 30 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,480 27% of people who come to church on a Sunday will encounter 31 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,840 Jesus. Now this really messed with me. 32 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:37,960 This really messed with me. I must be honest. 33 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:40,720 I've been, I've been struggling with that for quite a few weeks 34 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:44,520 now. And I'm going, wow, God, what am 35 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:48,040 I doing to make sure that I don't come here on a Sunday and 36 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,280 listen to the preach and tick the box and go home. 37 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:53,760 And when someone says on Wednesday, how was church, you 38 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,400 go like it was great. I actually can't even remember 39 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,480 what they preached about. What am I doing to make sure 40 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:04,160 that when I come here on a Sunday, 27 percent is is is 1/4? 41 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:05,560 It's it's one out of four people. 42 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,280 If we do half and half, it means that part is going to encounter 43 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,200 Jesus and all of you are going to go home and and not encounter 44 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:13,880 him. Tick the box and your life will 45 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:15,680 be unchanged and there'll be no difference. 46 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,320 I think it's this part is that, sorry, this part, this part here 47 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:21,320 is going to encounter Jesus and you guys in that boat won't 48 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,440 encounter but but it's really messed with me. 49 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:26,600 And you know, I don't know if you've seen that thing on the 50 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:30,640 Internet where it says every family what's up group has 51 00:02:30,640 --> 00:02:33,200 another what's up group where one of the family members is not 52 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:39,200 on it. And they say, they say that if 53 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,760 you sit here and you say, not my family, what's up group? 54 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:48,400 Guess what exactly, exactly. And so, you know, I've been 55 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:50,920 saying to God is, is that the same with this thing? 56 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,320 Maybe if you're sitting here today and you're saying, surely 57 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,240 that can't be me. I can't be 1 of the 73 percent 58 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,080 who come to church and not encounter Jesus. 59 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:01,600 Well, guess what? Maybe it is you. 60 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,520 And so as I've been mulling about this and thinking about 61 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,400 this and saying, God, what am I going to do to make sure that 62 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,360 I'm not one of the 73% that just come here and tick a box? 63 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:16,000 I got to John, John 16 in my Bible and, and as I read this, 64 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:19,640 God showed me in John 16 four things that we have access to 65 00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:22,360 when we encounter Jesus. We don't work for them. 66 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,000 We don't have to earn them. We don't have to deserve them. 67 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,720 All we have to do is encounter Jesus and he gives us these four 68 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:30,040 things. It's so incredible. 69 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,480 And so I want to talk about those four things we have access 70 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:35,160 to today when we encounter Jesus. 71 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:38,320 We're going to start reading in the last verse of John 15, John 72 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:41,480 1526. And if you've heard me preach 73 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,400 before, you know, I've got a little like a little twitch and 74 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,680 I am an OT. So I really don't like screens. 75 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:50,800 Don't even say AI to me because then I, I start looking like my 76 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:56,920 husband used to look like. But if you, if you read your 77 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:58,680 sorry, I do have a dark sense of humour. 78 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:02,560 Apologize, if you read your Bible on your phone, you won't 79 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,960 actually realize that that this last little bit of John 15 is 80 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:08,240 actually part of John 16. So if you, if you open your 81 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:10,160 Bible, you'll see there's a heading that says the work of 82 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,800 the Holy Spirit and it's the last verse of John 15 and it 83 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,760 flows directly into John 16. And I'm saying if you're reading 84 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:17,200 your Bible on your phone, that's great. 85 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,519 Please keep doing it. But get a Bible because if you, 86 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,640 if you put John 16 in on your phone app, it'll just open to 87 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,040 John 16 and you'll actually miss that last little part of John 88 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:26,480 15. That's part of John 16. 89 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:28,160 So keep reading the Bible on your phone. 90 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:29,840 Don't stop reading your Bible, but get a Bible. 91 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,680 If you can't afford a Bible, get into a life group and tell them 92 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:34,240 you can't afford a Bible and they'll buy you one. 93 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:37,000 But if you're not in a life group, don't ask. 94 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:42,520 But OK, I'm going to stop now. But so let's read from John 15, 95 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:47,000 verse 26. When the Advocate, whom I will 96 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,520 send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who goes out 97 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,240 from the Father, He will testify about me. 98 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:57,000 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the 99 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,920 beginning. Then in John 16, all this I've 100 00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:02,000 told to you, that you will not fall away. 101 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:04,240 And we're going to skip to verse 7. 102 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:08,000 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I'm going 103 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,600 away. Unless I go away, the advocates 104 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,600 will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to 105 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:15,680 you. When He comes, He will prove the 106 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,280 world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and 107 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:21,320 judgement about sin because people do not believe in Me, 108 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:24,080 about righteousness because I'm going to the Father where you 109 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:27,040 can see me no longer, and about judgment because the Prince of 110 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,400 this world now stands condemned. I have much more to say to you, 111 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,680 more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth 112 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:36,240 comes, he will guide you into all truth. 113 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:39,400 And so the first thing we have access to when we encounter 114 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:41,800 Jesus is we are filled with the Holy Spirit. 115 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:44,800 You know, in this passage, the Holy Spirit is actually called 2 116 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:46,640 names. It's called the Spirit of Truth 117 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:51,000 and it's called the Advocate. And so as I read this, I started 118 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:52,720 as I've been reading. So from November, I've been 119 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:54,000 reading the book of John and my Quiet Time. 120 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:55,560 I'm just reading it. When I get to the end, I just 121 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:57,160 start again. And I read it again and I start 122 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,480 again. And I started realizing how 123 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:04,280 often the word truth or true or truthful actually appears in the 124 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:07,040 book of John. And I just started jumping out 125 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:08,520 of the pages every time I would see it. 126 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,640 And then I started underlining it every time I see the word 127 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:15,720 truth or truthful or truly. And I actually found 66 times in 128 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,600 the book of John that that word in some form appears. 129 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:22,120 And in my Bible, the words of Jesus, direct words of Jesus are 130 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:25,880 in read 55 of those 66 times are actually in the direct words of 131 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:28,200 Jesus. Now, if Jesus says something 132 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,760 that much or that often, you better pay attention. 133 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:32,760 You know, you better pay attention. 134 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:35,800 And so as I'm like reading this and thinking about this and 135 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:40,880 Steven statistic in my mind, and I actually started realizing how 136 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:45,840 often in my own life do I tell half truths or little white lies 137 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,880 or just exaggerate something a little bit just to make me look 138 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:53,160 a little bit better, or just just tell my story in a way that 139 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:56,680 just just sort of promotes my side of the story a little bit 140 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,360 more. And then I started seeing how 141 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:01,560 how actually how the people around me do it. 142 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:06,480 And and then I started realizing how acceptable it's become even 143 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,240 amongst Christians to tell little half truths or or 144 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:11,960 exaggerate something in a way that just makes something look a 145 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:15,080 little bit better. And I'm so, so now I'm like, 146 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:17,640 you've got all this going on in my head and I'm dealing with all 147 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:19,480 of this. And then, then I got to John 8 148 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:24,280 verse 32 and where Jesus says, then you will know the truth and 149 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:26,760 the truth will set you free. Lovely verse. 150 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:28,720 Most of us will know it. You know, you'll know the truth 151 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,560 and the truth will set you free. And then I read a few verses 152 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:34,840 later in John 8, it says, so if the sun sets you free, you'll be 153 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:36,640 free indeed. We also love that one. 154 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:38,760 Hey, you know, make it a make it a bumper stick there. 155 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:40,240 If the sun sets you free, you'll be free indeed. 156 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:42,520 Hallelujah. But you know, as I thought about 157 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,640 this, I said, if if the Bible says that the sun sets you free, 158 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,440 you will be free indeed. Why are so many Christians not 159 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,960 living in freedom? Why are so many of us not living 160 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:53,880 in freedom in some aspects of our lives? 161 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:57,000 If the Bible says that the sun sets you free, you will be free 162 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,200 indeed. Why are we not living in that 163 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:02,640 freedom when Jesus has died and been risen again and and gone up 164 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:04,520 to heaven so that we can actually live in freedom? 165 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:07,720 And then as I'm milling all of this over, I'll go back and I 166 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,360 got to the end of John and I got to John 1 again. 167 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:13,280 And then I read this in John one verse 17 and it says, for the 168 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:17,720 law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through 169 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:21,360 Jesus Christ. Grace and truth came through 170 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:24,160 Jesus Christ. So we all know if you've been in 171 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:26,440 this church for any length of time, you'll know salvation is 172 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:28,760 Jesus and Jesus alone, only Jesus. 173 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:29,840 You don't have to change your life. 174 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:31,240 You don't have to stop doing things. 175 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:33,919 We're hoping that you will. But when you get to heaven and 176 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:35,400 God says, why must I let you in you? 177 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:37,919 Yeah, the answer is Jesus because of what Jesus has done 178 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:40,360 on the cross. But the Bible actually says 179 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:42,360 grace and truth came through Jesus. 180 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,280 And so why do we have? Why do we need truth? 181 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:48,800 Because actually truth is so that we can walk in freedom. 182 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,120 The Bible says you will know the truth and the truth you will set 183 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:54,000 you free. So that truth is for while we're 184 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:57,840 here on earth, you know, if, if we got saved and we just went up 185 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:00,120 to heaven right away, boom, wouldn't that be amazing? 186 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,280 I mean, that would be great. It would be a lot easier, you 187 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:04,880 know, get saved, go to heaven, you know, but actually it 188 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:08,040 doesn't work that way. We get saved and then we walk it 189 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:10,800 out here on earth. But we've actually been given, 190 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,560 we've been given the spirit of truth so that we can walk in 191 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:15,680 freedom. But why aren't we walking in 192 00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:17,760 freedom? Could it be that we're not 193 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,240 walking in freedom because we're still choosing to believe the 194 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:23,840 lies of the enemies of the enemy instead of what the word of God 195 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,640 says instead of the truth? Even though we have been saved 196 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:29,200 and Jesus has died for everything and he says that he 197 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:31,800 has come and whom he sets free is free indeed, and the truth 198 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:33,960 will set you free. We're still choosing to believe 199 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:37,200 the lies of the enemy instead of actually walking in that truth 200 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:42,080 that we have access to. You know, the other name that 201 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:44,320 the the Holy Spirit in this passage is called, is called the 202 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:46,640 Advocate. Now I think in pictures, 203 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:49,800 sometimes a good thing, sometimes not so much, but I see 204 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:52,000 this picture in heaven, you know, and, and it's the 205 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:53,400 courtroom and God is sitting there. 206 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:56,240 He's the judge and, and the Holy Spirit is there. 207 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:58,480 He's the advocate. And the devil comes and he says, 208 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:01,920 God, she's done it again. She's she's done this thing 209 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,320 again. And I see the Holy Spirit go, 210 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:08,080 OK, God, but Jesus died on the cross for that. 211 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:10,400 Jesus has died for that. And then I see God looking at 212 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:12,160 me. And what does the Bible say when 213 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:13,680 I'm saved? When God looks at me, what does 214 00:10:13,680 --> 00:10:16,160 he see? He sees the righteousness of 215 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:18,240 Christ. So again, God look at me and he 216 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,680 says, OK, but I see the righteousness of Christ. 217 00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:24,440 So I say she's not guilty. Now imagine if that happened and 218 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:26,920 I just went and said, OK, God, thank you so much. 219 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,160 That's amazing. I really appreciate it. 220 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:31,360 But will you please send me still send me to jail? 221 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,880 Thank you for saying not guilty and and I really appreciate that 222 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:37,280 Jesus died for me. But you know what? 223 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:38,840 I did do it. Can you please just still send 224 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:40,880 me to jail? I mean, how dumb would that be? 225 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:43,800 Like how dumb must you be and still breathe? 226 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:44,920 Isn't that what you normally say here? 227 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:46,080 How dumb must you be and still breathe? 228 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:48,040 But like, how dumb would that be? 229 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:52,160 If, if God says, if the advocate comes and says God, but the 230 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:54,960 spirit of truth and we say thank you, Jesus, but please, can you 231 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:57,200 still, can you still, can I still lie in bed at night and 232 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:59,040 think about that thing I did wrong, even though I've asked 233 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:00,400 you to forgive me and ask you to walk with me? 234 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:03,560 And can I still punish myself and live in that, in that, in 235 00:11:03,560 --> 00:11:07,880 that captivity when actually I've been given freedom, when 236 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:11,400 the truth sets me free? You know, in John 12 verse 46, 237 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:15,560 Jesus says I've come into the world as a light so that no one 238 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:18,000 who believes in me should stay in darkness. 239 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:20,520 What area of your life are you still in darkness in? 240 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:22,240 It's not because you can't get out of it. 241 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:24,640 So you're still believing the lie of the enemy instead of 242 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,120 actually allowing the truth of God to set you free. 243 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:30,240 You know, are you are you here this morning and you're 244 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:34,720 struggling with pornography? Maybe you know that the lie you 245 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:36,920 may believe is that when you sit in front of that computer at 246 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:38,960 night by yourself that you're alone. 247 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:43,800 But actually in John 3 verse 21, it says, but whoever lives by 248 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:48,520 the truth comes into the light. So it may be seen plainly that 249 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,280 what they have done has been done in the sight of God. 250 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:54,120 So you're sitting there and you think you're by yourself, but 251 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:56,240 actually everything you're doing is in the sight of God. 252 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:58,440 That's the truth. That's the truth. 253 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:01,520 What's the grace part? The grace part is even if you do 254 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:04,440 it again, even if you do it again, you can go to God and 255 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:07,480 say, God, I failed again, will you forgive me? 256 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:09,960 Will you forgive me? And God says when you ask 257 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,200 forgiveness, when he looks at you, he sees the righteousness 258 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:14,880 of Christ, grace and truth, grace and truth. 259 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:16,920 And then you say, but God, will you help me not do it again? 260 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:19,840 And next time you find yourself there, you say, hey, actually 261 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:22,440 John verse 3, verse 21 says everything I do is in the sight 262 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:24,360 of God. So God, will you help me now not 263 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:28,120 to fall again, Grace and truth. Maybe the thing the area you 264 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,160 struggle to get free in is in anxiety. 265 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,560 Maybe you struggle with anxiety and you're struggling to 266 00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:37,400 actually overcome that anxiety. You know that maybe you you have 267 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:40,280 anxiety because you think you're not good enough or you think you 268 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:43,400 can't do something. Well, Philippians 4 verse 13 269 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:46,120 says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 270 00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:48,520 Truth. So are you believe in the lie of 271 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:50,960 the enemy or you believe in the truth that's in God's word. 272 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:53,760 Maybe you maybe you struggle with anxiety because you don't 273 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:55,240 feel safe when you're by yourself. 274 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,840 Maybe we live in a country where things are not always easy to to 275 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:02,640 be free of that anxiety. But Joshua one verse 9 says be 276 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:06,400 strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be 277 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:10,360 discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you everywhere 278 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:13,360 you go. Grace and truth, grace and 279 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:14,360 truth. I'm never alone. 280 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,000 I don't have to do this alone Truth I can do all things 281 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,680 through crisis strengthens me. That's what helps us walk into 282 00:13:19,680 --> 00:13:21,200 in freedom. What is it for you? 283 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:23,960 Is it is it your marriage? What is the lie you believe in 284 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,120 your marriage? Do you believe your marriage 285 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:28,480 can't ever flourish because you're too different? 286 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:32,040 Do you believe your marriage marriage can't flourish because 287 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:33,520 you, you married the wrong person. 288 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:35,760 You knew when you married them, the Holy Spirit said to you, 289 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:37,920 it's not the right person, but you, you still married them. 290 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,440 What is the lie you believe? Or are you believing the word of 291 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:42,480 God that says he makes all things work together for the 292 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:44,680 good, for those who love him? What are you going to believe? 293 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:47,120 So. So next time you find yourself 294 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:49,200 struggling with an area in your life where you're not getting 295 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:51,960 freedom, ask yourself, what is the lie I'm believing? 296 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:55,360 Ask God to give you, give you the truth out of his word. 297 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,400 And every time that light comes back to you, speak God's word 298 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:00,520 over it. Believe the truth of what God is 299 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:02,320 saying and you will walk into freedom. 300 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:05,480 God, Jesus has come so that we can be free, Free indeed. 301 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:08,480 So the first thing that we have access to when we encounter 302 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,760 Jesus is the Spirit of truth. And that will actually lead us 303 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:13,440 into freedom. That's the first thing we have 304 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:15,920 access to. Let's go back to John 16. 305 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:20,080 We're going to read from verse 21, a woman giving birth to a 306 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:22,280 child as pain because their time has come. 307 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,840 But when that baby is born, she forgets her anguish because of 308 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,040 her joy that a child is born into the world. 309 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:30,720 So with you, now is your time of grief. 310 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:34,440 But I will see you again and you will rejoice, and not one will 311 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:38,200 take away your joy in that day. You will no longer ask me 312 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:39,400 anything. Very truly. 313 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,760 I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 314 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:45,880 Until now, you have not asked for anything in my name. 315 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:50,000 Ask and you'll receive and your joy will be complete. 316 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:53,440 The second thing we have access to when we encounter Jesus is 317 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:55,560 complete joy. Complete joy. 318 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,680 You know, the example that Jesus uses in this passage is as 319 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:01,120 childbirth. I've had two kids and I had both 320 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:02,560 of them naturally with no epidural. 321 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:06,240 And I tell you when you of course, of course, Yeah, of 322 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:08,120 course. But I tell you when you when you 323 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:10,560 when you're busy having that baby, you just think like, OK, 324 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:12,280 that's fine. Jesus, come take me now. 325 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:14,320 I'm good to go. You know, it's all right. 326 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:16,320 You know, my, it's fine. Come and get me now. 327 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:19,840 But when that baby is born, I promise you when they put that 328 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:22,920 baby in your arms, if someone had to right there at that 329 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:24,440 moment say to you, will you do it again? 330 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,960 You say yes, you say yes, 2 minutes before that you thought 331 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,680 you were dying. But right there, right there, if 332 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:32,320 someone had to say to me, will you do it again? 333 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:34,040 I'll say yes. If it wasn't for my husband, I 334 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:37,480 would have been one of those with the 12, you know, but it's, 335 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:42,680 it's amazing how Jesus uses that example to talk about his death 336 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:46,120 and resurrection because he knew he was going to be crucified and 337 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,960 his disciples would be left here thinking, what the heck, We 338 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,080 missed the plot. We gave up everything for this 339 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:54,400 guy. Now he's dead, like where are we 340 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:56,120 at? But he says when he is, when he 341 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:59,160 rises again, when he, when he, when he came up out of that 342 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:02,520 grave, he's going to give them a joy that will be complete. 343 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:05,920 And that joy is actually based on the finished work of Christ. 344 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:08,240 It's not based on your circumstances. 345 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:10,160 It's not based on what you're facing today. 346 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:11,760 It's not based on what you're going through. 347 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:15,040 That joy that he's given us, that complete joy is based on 348 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,600 the finished work of Christ. It's based on the fact that no 349 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:20,760 matter what we face here on earth, when we encounter Jesus 350 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,480 and we invite them into our life, that is guaranteed. 351 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:25,200 Nobody can take that away from us. 352 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:26,840 And that's what that joy is based on. 353 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:32,960 In John 15 verse 11, Jesus says, I've told you this so that my 354 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,640 joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 355 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:43,000 In John 17 verse 13, Jesus says I'm coming to you now, but I say 356 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,520 these things while I'm still in the world so that they may have 357 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:49,600 the full measure of my joy within Him. 358 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:54,400 We have access to the full measure of Jesus's joy within 359 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:57,920 us, the full measure of His joy. Why are you not smiling? 360 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,040 Smile. We have access to the full 361 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,080 measure of Christ's joy within us. 362 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,640 Not based on your circumstances, not when things are going well 363 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:07,760 in the midst of what you're facing. 364 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:10,440 You have because that joy is based on the finished work of 365 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:12,280 Christ, which no one can take from you. 366 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:14,839 So the second thing we have access to when we encounter 367 00:17:14,839 --> 00:17:19,520 Jesus is complete joy, the full measure of the joy of Christ. 368 00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:22,599 So can we go back to John 16? Are you with me? 369 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:29,640 John 16, verse 25, John 16, verse 25. 370 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:31,200 I'm just breathing so you guys can catch up. 371 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:37,480 I'm good, I've been told. John 16, verse 25. 372 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:41,200 Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming 373 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,440 when I will no longer use this kind of language, but will tell 374 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:48,480 you plainly about my father. In that day you will ask him my 375 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:51,800 name. I am not saying that I will ask 376 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:56,320 the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you 377 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,280 because you have loved me and have believed that I am from 378 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:01,440 God. The third thing we have access 379 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:04,760 to when we encounter Jesus is direct access to the Father. 380 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,560 Jesus is saying not even he has to ask the Father on your 381 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:10,720 behalf. Not even Jesus has to ask the 382 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:13,760 Father on your behalf. You have direct access to the 383 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,280 Father. You know that maybe for some of 384 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:19,560 you, you haven't been in church for a long time and you haven't 385 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:22,880 read the whole Bible yet, but in the Old Testament, only the high 386 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:24,840 priest had access to the presence of God. 387 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:27,920 So there was the temple, and in the temple was the center court, 388 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:29,280 and there was a curtain around it. 389 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:32,680 And once a year the high priest could go into the presence of 390 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,280 God and he would make sacrifices for the sins of the people. 391 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:37,840 But you and I, the normal guy on the street, we didn't have 392 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:40,800 access to the presence of God. But when Jesus died on the 393 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:44,560 cross, that curtain around the inner court of the temple tore 394 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:47,000 from top to bottom, from top to bottom. 395 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,040 Now, I don't know about you, but if I decided to tear a curtain 396 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:53,360 right now, how would I tear it from the bottom up? 397 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:54,640 Because that's where I can reach. 398 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:57,360 But actually, when Jesus died on the cross, that curtain tore 399 00:18:57,360 --> 00:19:00,080 from top to bottom. God tore that curtain from top 400 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:02,440 to bottom because he said because of the finished work of 401 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:04,800 Christ. Now you and I, every single 402 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:07,720 person sitting here today and watching online has direct 403 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,240 access to the Father. We don't need to go through the 404 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:12,200 high priest. We don't even need to go through 405 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:13,640 Jesus. We don't have to pray to Mother 406 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:15,880 Mary. We have direct access to the 407 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:18,640 Father. So you see, when when you need 408 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:22,720 someone to pray with you, am I saying there isn't a place for 409 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:26,120 other people to pray with us? I'm not saying that, but you 410 00:19:26,120 --> 00:19:27,920 know what you don't need someone else to pray with you. 411 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:30,280 You don't need Rory to pray for your business. 412 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:34,320 He doesn't have a special line. He has exactly the same access 413 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:37,040 to the Father that you have exactly the same access. 414 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:39,720 God is not going to answer your answer your prayer because he 415 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:41,720 prayed for you. He's also a Sinner. 416 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:43,560 He's also at the foot of the cross. 417 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:50,120 He is also, just like I'm, also a Sinner. 418 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:52,440 We're all sinners at the foot of the cross. 419 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:54,360 We're all equal. We're all equal. 420 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:56,080 We don't. There's no special access to the 421 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:57,840 Father. You don't need Stephen and Kathy 422 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:00,800 to pray for your marriage. You have direct access to the 423 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,320 Father. You can ask him yourself, am I 424 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:05,520 saying there isn't a place for people to pray together? 425 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:07,560 That's not what I'm saying. That's not what I'm saying. 426 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:10,680 But I'm just saying if 20 of you come here after the preach in 427 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:13,240 the morning and we, we'll pray for you, we'll pray for you. 428 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:15,040 We don't mind praying for you. But you know what? 429 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:17,720 If you ask your friend to pray for you, guess what's going to 430 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:20,000 happen on Wednesday? Your friend's going to send you 431 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:21,400 a message to say, hey, how's it going now? 432 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:23,760 How you doing? How's it going? 433 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:26,320 You know what if you ask your friend to pray with you? 434 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:29,040 Maybe your friend's going to say to you, yes, I will pray with 435 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:31,840 you, But actually, do you remember the promise God gave 436 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:33,240 you last time we prayed about this? 437 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:35,720 Rory and Stephen is not going to know that. 438 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:38,160 Chad and Matt's not going to know that. 439 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:40,000 But your friend who's been walking with you is going to 440 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:41,840 know that. Maybe your friend will say to 441 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:44,920 you, listen, do you remember what God asked you to do last 442 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:47,120 time we prayed about this? Do you remember that last time 443 00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:49,000 we prayed about your marriage, you felt God's saying to you, 444 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:50,640 you've got to treat your husband with more respect. 445 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:52,600 Are you doing that? Are you doing that? 446 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,120 That's why we get our friends to pray with us, because we all 447 00:20:55,120 --> 00:20:56,640 have direct access to the Father. 448 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:58,920 But your friend that's walking with you knows you. 449 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:00,800 They know your life. They're walking it out with you, 450 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:02,600 you know, or you're in a life group. 451 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:04,440 Get your life group to pray with you. 452 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:07,320 They're going to walk this road with you every week when your 453 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:09,000 husband's in hospital, they're going to bring you meals. 454 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:10,640 I've had so much food. I don't know, I'm going to have 455 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,080 to go buy a second freezer if people don't stop bringing me 456 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:14,760 food. But that's what happens when 457 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:16,840 you're in community. Not only they're going to pray 458 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:18,640 with you, they are going to pray with you, but they're going to 459 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:20,560 love you and they're going to bring you meals and they're 460 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:22,640 going to look after you and they're going to challenge you 461 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,120 and they're going to say, but listen, last time God told you 462 00:21:25,120 --> 00:21:27,640 to do this, why you're doing it. That's why we get our friends to 463 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,720 pray with us. You know, I have a friend, she's 464 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:33,240 an incredible friend. She'll often ask me what can I 465 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:36,120 pray for? And and then I know she'll pray. 466 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:39,040 And once she said to me on a Sunday, what can I pray for? 467 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:41,360 And I said, you know what? Jessie's writing pharmacology on 468 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:43,560 Thursday. She, she's really struggling 469 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:44,960 with it. Pray for her. 470 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:48,720 And so on winter week, Thursday, 8:00, I'm at work, I'm 471 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:50,600 operating, I'm doing what I need to do. 472 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:52,480 I get a message on my phone. I look at it, it's my friend 473 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:54,520 saying I'm praying for Jessie right now. 474 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:57,360 Guess what? I'd forgotten my own child was 475 00:21:57,360 --> 00:22:00,040 writing. I'm not, I hadn't prayed for my 476 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:04,480 own child, but my friend, my friend who I said on Sunday, 477 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,040 Jessie is writing on Thursday, that friend, she sent me a 478 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:10,560 message Thursday morning to say I'm praying for Jessie right 479 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,120 now. And I could stop for a moment 480 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:14,320 and say God, Please remember Jessie. 481 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,400 And you know what, she passed. She got 50%. 482 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,240 And you know, you know what she said to me afterwards, She said, 483 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,160 mom, seriously, God takes your prayers serious. 484 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:29,640 Please, next time, don't just pray that I pass, pray that I do 485 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:32,920 Well. So yeah, when you pray, be 486 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:35,800 specific. But but you know, that's, that's 487 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:37,960 the place to pray together. We don't pray with someone 488 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:39,200 because they've got special access. 489 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,680 We all have direct access to the Father, the same direct access 490 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:44,840 to the Father. So if God challenges you on a 491 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:48,000 Sunday morning about something, don't run to the front, run 492 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:52,280 home, go and sit in your garden. Say to God, God, I felt you 493 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:54,280 speak to me out of this part of the priest this morning. 494 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:56,240 Show me. Show me what I must do. 495 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:57,880 Show me how to implement this in my life. 496 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:00,160 Show me what you want to change inside of me. 497 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:02,400 You have direct access to the Father. 498 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:05,920 That's the third thing we have access to when we encounter 499 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:07,840 Christ, direct access to the Father. 500 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:12,000 The last thing is in verse is in the last verse of John 16. 501 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:17,480 And that last verse says, I've told you these things so that in 502 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:22,040 me you may have peace. And then in the very next line, 503 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:26,800 not the next verse, not the next chapter, in the very next line, 504 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:31,720 Jesus says in this world you will have trouble. 505 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:36,760 Yeah, what I've come in this world so that you may have 506 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,000 peace. In this world you will have 507 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,120 trouble. Because you see, the peace that 508 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:45,760 Jesus gives us is not dependent on our circumstances. 509 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:50,240 The peace that Jesus gives us is in spite of the fact that in 510 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:54,040 this world we will have trouble. We have access to a peace in 511 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:56,080 spite of or in the midst of our trouble. 512 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:00,040 In Philippians 4, verse 7, it's one of my favourite verses in 513 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,560 the Bible. It says that and the peace of 514 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:06,440 God that transcends all understanding will guard your 515 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:08,880 hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 516 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:11,480 Do you know that you don't have to understand something to have 517 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:13,880 peace? You don't have to understand 518 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:16,200 something to have peace. You don't have to understand why 519 00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:18,000 your brother died from cancer to have peace. 520 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,160 You don't have to understand why your sister lost her baby to 521 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:23,640 have peace. The Bible says that he gives us 522 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:25,760 a peace. That's that transcends 523 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,400 understanding. If you say, but I want to 524 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,320 understand before I have peace, you're never going to have peace 525 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:33,720 because there's some things we are never going to be able to 526 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:35,120 understand while we're here on earth. 527 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:37,240 We'll never be able to understand it. 528 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:39,480 Our minds are too small to understand it. 529 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:43,280 But actually you don't have your your peace is not dependent on 530 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,440 your ability to understand what you're going through. 531 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:47,880 We have been given when you encounter Jesus, you have been 532 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:51,600 given the peace that that transcends all understanding. 533 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:54,680 Do you know that, that often as Christians, we are pulled 534 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,640 forwards and back backwards by our emotions and our thoughts? 535 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:00,080 Do you, do you recognize that in your own life? 536 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:02,560 I recognize that my own life, I'm often being pulled forwards 537 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,040 and backwards by my emotions and my thoughts. 538 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:09,720 You know, that verse says that the peace of God will guard your 539 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:12,920 heart and your mind. So where do our emotions come 540 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:14,720 from? From our heart. 541 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:17,680 Where do our thoughts come from? From our mind. 542 00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:21,520 Actually, when we have the peace of Christ, it'll guard your 543 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:24,480 heart and your mind. It should guard your thoughts 544 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,040 and your emotions. Your thoughts and your emotions 545 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:30,080 actually have something that can protect them when you actually 546 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:32,560 encounter Jesus and you have the peace of Christ in your life. 547 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:37,800 You know, my husband had an operation like Rory said two 548 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:41,080 weeks ago. And when you, when you go into a 549 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:43,840 situation like that, they, they push you into the pre operating 550 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:46,920 room and then the anaesthetist comes there and then she tells 551 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,320 you every little thing that can go wrong. 552 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:53,400 You can have an epileptic seizure, he can be deaf, he can 553 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:55,920 have a stroke, he can die. They can nick an artery. 554 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:57,200 They can, they tell you everything. 555 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:00,400 You can come out, incubate it. I have to tell you all of this. 556 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:02,520 They tell you all of that and then they walk away and they 557 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:04,000 leave you for another hour to wait. 558 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:07,240 And then they take him in and they tell you the operation is 559 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:09,360 going to be about 3 hours and it might take a bit longer. 560 00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:11,720 And then you get to hour 5 and you still haven't heard a thing. 561 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:15,680 And you know what, in that moment before the operation, 562 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:17,680 they, they, they need this comes there and they tell you all 563 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:19,280 these things. And Eugene's looking at me and 564 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:22,160 I'm looking at him and I've got tears in my eyes and he, I'm 565 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:24,560 trying to be strong for him and he's trying to be strong for me. 566 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,200 And you're sitting there and Eugene looked at me and he said, 567 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:31,200 go, I've got peace. My life is in God's hands. 568 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:33,280 And I said to him, babe, I've got peace. 569 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:36,120 Am I, am I supernatural? Am I abnormal? 570 00:26:36,120 --> 00:26:39,120 Did my heart not race at 180 beats a minute? 571 00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:43,000 Did my mind not go, you know, what if this happens, what if of 572 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:46,640 course, yes, but I peace because you know, that peace wasn't 573 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:48,560 based on the outcome of the operation. 574 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:51,200 It wasn't based on the outcome of the operation. 575 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:54,320 My peace was based on the finished work of Christ. 576 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:58,160 My peace was based on the fact that even if my husband died in 577 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:06,800 that operation. So if you've been walking on 578 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:11,080 this earth any length of time, you'll know there's no 579 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:14,720 guarantees in life. My peace was based on the fact 580 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,080 that even if he died, number one, I knew where we'd be. 581 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:22,200 We'd be, he'd be with Christ. And if that happened, and I'm 582 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:25,200 saying, God, please don't let that happen, I knew I'd be OK. 583 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:28,600 Did I want that to happen? Absolutely not. 584 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:30,880 Was I begging God, going God, you know that guy in the Bible 585 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:32,600 that said, please just at least 15 years. 586 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:36,520 More like negotiating with God. Like, of course he is not 587 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:39,040 abnormal. But I had peace in the midst of 588 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:41,120 all of this. I had peace because my peace 589 00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:43,440 wasn't based on the result of that operation. 590 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,960 My peace wasn't based on the skill of that doctor. 591 00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:50,240 I didn't even pray for the doctor because my, my husband's, 592 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:52,560 I mean, it sounds bad, but my husband's hands, my husband's 593 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:54,160 life wasn't in the hands of that doctor. 594 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:56,960 The Bible says not one here falls from your head, that God 595 00:27:56,960 --> 00:27:59,280 doesn't know about it. My confidence and my trust 596 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:01,360 wasn't God. And then the fact that he's 597 00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:04,560 sovereign and that whatever happens, he is with me. 598 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:07,560 My peace was based on that, a peace that Gods, our hearts and 599 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:09,440 our minds, our hearts and our minds. 600 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:12,600 So the fourth thing we have access to when we encounter 601 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:16,560 Christ is the peace of God that transcends understanding that 602 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:17,880 will guard your heart and your mind. 603 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:22,680 So ask yourself today, what are you going to do today to make 604 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:27,040 sure that you encounter Jesus? What are you going to do today? 605 00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:30,200 What am I going to do today to make sure that I'm part of the 606 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:34,200 27%, not the 73%? Because you know, when we 607 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:38,600 encounter Jesus, we have access to spirit of truth that leads us 608 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:41,120 into freedom here on earth while we're waiting to be with him in 609 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:44,520 eternity. Complete joy, the full joy of 610 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:47,280 Christ, direct access to the Father. 611 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:49,240 You don't need anybody else to ask. 612 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:51,840 You have direct access to Him and peace. 613 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:54,640 Even in the midst of your trouble, you can have peace. 614 00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:57,480 Remember, you don't create these things. 615 00:28:57,520 --> 00:28:59,680 We don't create them. You don't get up tomorrow 616 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:01,800 morning and go today I'm going to have joy. 617 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:05,440 Today I'm going to have peace. No matter how horrible my boss 618 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:06,680 is, I'm going to have peace today. 619 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:09,000 We don't create them. They've given to us. 620 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,720 They've given to us. When we encounter Christ, when 621 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:14,680 we walk with him, when we allow Him to speak into our life, 622 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:18,480 they've given to us. They've given to us when we 623 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:21,840 encounter Jesus we filled with his Holy Spirit give these 624 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:24,960 things to us. My prayer for us all, including 625 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:28,360 myself today is that we will actually learn how to walk into 626 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:31,520 fullness of what Jesus has done for us on the cross in the 627 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:34,880 fullness of what we have access to when we when we encounter him 628 00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:36,680 in Jesus name and then.