1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:05,080 We are one church. We love God, love people, love 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:06,960 His mission, and love His church. 3 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,560 Welcome to the One Church podcast. 4 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:20,760 Today, as we carry on our Jesus Said series, we have looked so 5 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:23,120 far at Jesus talking about prayer. 6 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:25,920 We've covered you are the light of the world. 7 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:30,760 We've talked about ask, seek, knock life to the full and Jesus 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,360 going after the one which you can catch up on the podcast. 9 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:37,600 And then today Jesus before he goes and he's crucified, talking 10 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,680 with his disciples about the gift that he'll leave with them. 11 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:44,920 This is John 1427. I am leaving you with a gift, 12 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:49,480 Peace of Mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift 13 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:53,200 the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. 14 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:58,040 So whether a beach, driving on country lanes on a sunny day, 15 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,640 how many of you enjoyed the sunshine yesterday for the one 16 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,120 day that we got it? Listening to the birds sing, 17 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,560 walking in nature, getting into bed after a long day, getting 18 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:11,320 off your feet. Total silence or something else 19 00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:14,160 entirely. These things are a measure of 20 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:16,160 peace that we can experience on earth. 21 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,000 Some of those things given by God that we might experience 22 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,280 peace. But what Jesus is saying through 23 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,720 this passage is that he is giving a gift the world cannot 24 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:27,400 give. So these peaceful things that we 25 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:31,160 experience from the world are just a shadow in the light of 26 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,960 the kind of peace that Jesus was offering. 27 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,920 The dictionary defines peace as the absence of war or conflict, 28 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:43,480 which definitely is peace. But biblically, peace is so much 29 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:45,800 more than just the absence of conflict. 30 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:50,560 The Hebrew word in Scripture that we get translated as peace 31 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,280 is Shalom. Now, Shalom refers to something 32 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,520 that is complete, something that's whole, something that has 33 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:01,520 no cracks or gaps in it. We know that life can be 34 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:03,120 complex. I'm sure I don't have to tell 35 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,920 you that life can be complex. It has lots of pieces that fit 36 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:11,000 together, and a life of Shalom is all of those pieces fitting 37 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,280 perfectly together without any gaps. 38 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,120 Though life is full of moving parts and relationships and 39 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,960 differences, when any of those things are out of alignment or 40 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:26,240 are missing, our Shalom breaks down and so life is no longer 41 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:30,560 whole and needs to be restored. And so to bring Shalom means to 42 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,200 take and make complete or to restore. 43 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,320 Shalom is restoration, completeness, wholeness. 44 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:42,840 And Jesus birth that we read about in the Bible is the 45 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:47,440 arrival of peace to earth because he came to make whole or 46 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:51,120 bring Shalom to the broken relationship between a perfect 47 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,560 God and humanity in our imperfection and in our 48 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:57,760 brokenness. And so when we talk about peace, 49 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:02,720 we're really looking far more at restoration and wholeness for us 50 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:07,800 in our minds, in our bodies, in our emotions, in our spirit, and 51 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,760 far less at a state of calm or a lack of conflict because 52 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,720 although those things are great, they are often temporary. 53 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:19,360 And so we read this out. Elaborate a little bit on the 54 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:24,120 verse that I read. This is John 14 from verse 23. 55 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:30,520 Jesus replied, All who love me will do what I say, my Father 56 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,360 will love them and we will come and make our home with each of 57 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,120 them. And anyone who doesn't love me 58 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,560 will not obey me. And remember my words are not my 59 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:42,160 own. What I'm telling you is from the 60 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:45,320 Father who sent me. I'm telling you these things now 61 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,040 while I'm still with you. But when the Father sends the 62 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:52,040 Advocate as my representative, that is the Holy Spirit. 63 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:55,840 He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything 64 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,640 I've told you. I'm leaving you with a gift, 65 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:03,240 Peace of Mind and heart, and the peace I give is a gift the world 66 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:06,200 cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. 67 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,400 Remember what I told you, I'm going away, but I will come back 68 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:11,640 again to you. If you really loved me, you 69 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,440 would be happy that I'm going to the Father who is greater than I 70 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:16,079 am. I've told you these things 71 00:04:16,079 --> 00:04:19,120 before they happen so that when they do happen, you will 72 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,560 believe. An amazing passage. 73 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,160 So much we could draw out of it to allude to how we should live 74 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,120 a life of peace. But that key verse that I read 75 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,760 at the start and I'll read it again, I am leaving you with a 76 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:37,680 gift, Peace of Mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift. 77 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:41,160 The world cannot give. So don't be troubled or a 78 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:44,720 phrase. Three things that we can learn 79 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:48,920 today about Jesus peace. Firstly, peace is a gift. 80 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,320 His words are so clear. I'm giving you a gift. 81 00:04:52,840 --> 00:04:56,560 And so while Jesus is no longer here on earth, his gift is for 82 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,240 us to take hold of in his absence. 83 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:03,760 But just as if I was to promise to give you a gift today, you 84 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:05,840 would still have to take it from me. 85 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,200 You would have to open it up. You would have to fully utilise 86 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:11,880 the gift that I'd given you. This Christmas. 87 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:16,920 We did our first family gift and we bought a Nintendo Switch for 88 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:18,720 all of us. I'm sure Arya will one day love 89 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:20,520 it. At the moment she just likes the 90 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:22,400 controllers to, you know, wave them around. 91 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:25,520 The kids were very excited when they opened it and obviously 92 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:28,240 Josh and I had to test it out a few times before Christmas 93 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:31,000 because you just can't be too careful with an eBay purchase, 94 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,920 can you? But the gift has been given, is 95 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:37,840 in our possession, it belongs to us and nobody else. 96 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:41,440 But if we leave it in the box then we're not going to benefit 97 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:43,680 from it. The benefit only comes with 98 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:45,480 getting to grips with how it works. 99 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:50,320 And if peace is a gift, then it's something that we have to 100 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:55,680 unwrap, get to grips with, take hold of it says in Psalm 34, 101 00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:58,800 search for peace and work to maintain it. 102 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:02,240 It's something that we have to look for and then when we find 103 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:07,640 it, we have to work to keep it. It's a gift that's freely given. 104 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:10,240 You know, you don't have to pay for a gift. 105 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,240 If you're given a gift and then you have to pay for it, it was 106 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:16,920 never a gift in the 1st place. It's a gift that's freely given 107 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,080 to us. But you can neglect it. 108 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:22,480 You can not pursue it. You can allow other things to 109 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:28,160 take its place and in our world there is so much noise and we 110 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,960 can find that we end up looking for peace in a a good holiday or 111 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:35,440 a moment where there isn't loads of challenges in life. 112 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,040 But in reality, peace is supposed to be a permanent 113 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:42,320 fixture in your life, not something that comes and goes 114 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:47,120 with the seasons. Jesus offers us Peace of Mind 115 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:50,200 and heart. Now, when you think about your 116 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:53,440 heart, I think that's talking about our emotions, our 117 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:57,840 feelings, our desires, our will. And then when we look at our 118 00:06:57,840 --> 00:07:01,600 minds, we're thinking about our thoughts, our internal dialogue, 119 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,600 our consciousness, our decision making. 120 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:09,640 Now, I personally don't find it too hard to be at peace in my 121 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:11,720 heart. I certainly have my wobbles, 122 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,520 don't get me wrong, but I feel fairly consistent in my 123 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:16,280 emotions. Now, I know that's not true for 124 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,920 everybody, but I find myself fairly solid. 125 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:22,000 But sometimes we can find ourselves one day feeling a bit 126 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:26,640 neutral, another day being elated, so happy, and then 127 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,360 another day feeling flat and feeling really down. 128 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:36,440 I don't believe that peace stops us from feeling, but as we said 129 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:40,680 about Shalom, it's that our feelings should stem from 130 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:44,720 wholeness and not that our feelings should stem from 131 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,400 brokenness. Now, what about in our minds? 132 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:52,400 My thoughts, my decision making, my internal dialogue. 133 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,680 For me personally, let's say it feels busy. 134 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:58,760 Feels like a lot's going on up here. 135 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:04,320 Sometimes it feels like my mind is racing at 100 miles an hour 136 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:06,920 and I'm multitasking at 1000 different things. 137 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:09,160 And to be honest, I'm often messing up at some of those 138 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:12,720 things because who can truly multitask well all the time? 139 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:18,640 So for me, the idea that I today could receive the gift of peace 140 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:22,640 in my mind that would bring clarity and bring wholeness and 141 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:26,200 complete trains of thought, I want that gift. 142 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:30,480 But how can we take hold of that gift to another level? 143 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:33,480 I think sometimes when we hear messages like this and it's like 144 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:36,760 a familiar concept, something that sounds nice and we think, 145 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:38,000 yeah, that would be great, wouldn't it? 146 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,880 If I could actually receive peace, that would be great. 147 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:46,160 But how do I actually experience peace in my day-to-day life in a 148 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,120 greater way? But one thing that this week I 149 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,720 was given a bit of an insight to is the science behind the brain 150 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:56,000 and the neurological pathways in our brains. 151 00:08:56,560 --> 00:09:00,400 And there is scientific proof that what you think changes your 152 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,600 physicality and that it's fine to feel anything, but what you 153 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:09,800 ruminate on actually has an impact on our bodies as well as 154 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:13,600 our brain pathways. There's a case study done many 155 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:17,040 years ago whereby there were two groups of people that took part 156 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:20,200 in a finger strength test. Don't show you thinking that is 157 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,640 a random test to take part in. It is, but it was very cool 158 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:26,880 because one group of people actually did finger strength 159 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,160 exercises for an hour a day, every day. 160 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:30,920 They did this over a four week period. 161 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:34,000 Every day they would do, I don't have any idea what those finger 162 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:36,640 strength exercises were, but they'll do something of a finger 163 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:39,160 strength exercise for an hour every day. 164 00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:42,880 Then the second group of people, instead of doing the exercises, 165 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:44,920 they thought about the exercises. 166 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:48,120 They thought, I've got such strong fingers, I know how to do 167 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:49,440 this. They thought about what the 168 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:51,680 exercises might be, what they might look like. 169 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:54,080 Now, you might think, well, there's no way that you can 170 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:56,640 improve your finger strength through not actually doing 171 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,160 anything. But the results showed that 172 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,280 after the four week trial, the group of people that did the 173 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:07,240 exercises had a 30% increase in their finger strength and the 174 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:11,840 people that thought about finger strength had a 22% increase in 175 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:14,840 finger strength. I mean, that is crazy, right? 176 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:16,280 How can you get stronger by thinking about it? 177 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:17,880 I'm not going to go to the gym anymore, guys. 178 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:19,560 I'm going to think about going to the gym. 179 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:24,480 Can't wait to see the results. But there's scientific proof 180 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:28,400 that what we think about and what we speak over ourselves not 181 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,360 only has an impact on our minds, but it has an impact on our 182 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:35,720 bodies. And so maybe peace doesn't have 183 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:39,400 to just be a nice concept or something that one day would be 184 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:42,600 lovely to have, but maybe a simple shift in our conscious 185 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:46,080 thought patterns could bring a greater level of peace in US, 186 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:49,600 mind and body. So peace is a gift. 187 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,920 I'm leaving you with a gift, Peace of Mind and heart. 188 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:55,840 And secondly, peace is a promise. 189 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:58,760 You know, if Jesus says he's giving you something, it's a 190 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:01,720 promise, it's a fact, it's unnegotiable. 191 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:06,080 He's going to do his part. So how do we similarly, how do 192 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:10,360 we receive this promise? So alongside what we've talked 193 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:13,640 about with our neurological pathways and our thoughts, I 194 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:17,800 also believe that prayer precedes peace, talking to God 195 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:21,280 about everything, asking Him for what we need, thanking Him for 196 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,840 what He's done, and we get a little step by step guide in 197 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,040 Philippians 4. It can become our new natural 198 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:32,440 response when worry comes that will continue to then rewire 199 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:35,640 those neurological pathways. This is Philippians 4 verse 6. 200 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:39,680 Don't worry about anything. I mean, have you ever not 201 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:41,600 worried about something because someone told you not to worry 202 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,200 about anything? No, but we're going to get to 203 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:44,600 it. Don't worry. 204 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,560 Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. 205 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:52,720 Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. 206 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:57,600 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we 207 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:02,120 can understand, and His peace will guard your hearts and minds 208 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:06,520 as you live in Christ Jesus. We're called to pray about 209 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:09,320 everything. That means we leave nothing out. 210 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:12,520 That means we can replace worry with prayer. 211 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:15,200 And so every time you might think, or you might say to a 212 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:18,880 friend, oh, I'm just so worried about, or how's this part of my 213 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,040 life going to pan out? Instead, you shift the thought 214 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:24,840 and you make it a prayer, which is just chatting to God. 215 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,680 It's just conversation with God in the same way as you'd say it 216 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:29,280 to your friend, you just say it to God. 217 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:32,400 God, I'm worried about how I'm going to pay my bills, but I 218 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:35,640 trust you as my provider. God, I'm worried about this 219 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:38,640 health condition that I've been diagnosed with, but I know that 220 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:41,200 you are the healer. God, I'm worried about this 221 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:44,480 unjust situation at work, but I know that you are the God that 222 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,600 fights for me. Because when we worry, we we 223 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:50,080 believe it's on earth to fix a situation. 224 00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:52,840 It's looking to myself to be the answers. 225 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:55,080 I'm all alone. It's me against the world. 226 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:57,760 But what's the perfect antidote to worry? 227 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:01,800 We take our worries to the one that made us, the one that knows 228 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:04,880 us, the one that loves us, and the only one that has power to 229 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:09,120 change our situations. We talk to God about everything. 230 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:13,280 And then the passage goes on to say thank him for all he's done. 231 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:17,560 You know, thankfulness reminds us of the privilege that we 232 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:22,680 already walk in, breath in my lungs, food to eat, health in my 233 00:13:22,680 --> 00:13:26,920 body, a roof over my head, a family who love me, a community 234 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:30,160 that are going to come alongside me, a church that is for me. 235 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:33,520 Your list will go on and on as you start to think about it. 236 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:37,440 When I remember that he has already provided so much for me, 237 00:13:37,680 --> 00:13:40,440 I'm reassured that there's no reason he wouldn't do it again. 238 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:44,320 I'm his kid. Why wouldn't he provide for his 239 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:47,800 kid? So we talked to God about 240 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:49,520 everything. We thank him for all that he's 241 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,000 done. And it goes on to say then, so 242 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,400 after we've done those two things, you will, which is a 243 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:58,640 promise. Again, experience, not 244 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:02,880 necessarily understand, but experience or encounter or feel 245 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:06,120 God's peace. Not the worldly peace, but the 246 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:08,200 peace. Jesus is talking about God's 247 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:12,120 peace, which is wholeness and completeness, which we can't 248 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,320 fully understand, which means we can't always get our heads 249 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:16,840 around it or put our fingers on it. 250 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:22,120 But we know that we know that we know that God's peace will come 251 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:25,480 to us. And again, this process engages 252 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,760 our minds and our spirits in talking to God about everything, 253 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:32,440 in thanking him for all that he's done, I'm rewiring these 254 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,680 neurological pathways that would otherwise maybe try and spiral 255 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,080 into worry and fear and brokenness. 256 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:40,200 And do you know why our brains work like that? 257 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:44,320 Because He made them to work like that the year we got 258 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:47,840 married, about six months before we got married, I was in a a 259 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:51,640 really bad car accident and I was driving my friend to 260 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:53,480 Nottingham for a a dance audition. 261 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:57,080 And and just as we were driving down this country lane, a pickup 262 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:59,920 truck came to the the junction and they just didn't stop. 263 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:03,920 They went straight into the side of, sorry mum, the, the lovely 264 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:07,640 car I was driving that was my mother's car and pushed us along 265 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:11,040 the other side of the road towards the oncoming traffic 266 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,000 down into a ditch and into a tree. 267 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:18,520 And the air ambulance come and, and everybody's there worrying 268 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:21,280 obviously. And I mean, I remember the first 269 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:23,760 thing I thought when I got out the car was, oh, how's this 270 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:26,600 going to affect my insurance? Because I had no idea. 271 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:28,920 I was like, it's so expensive already, is it going to make it 272 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:30,240 worse? I didn't know how these things 273 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:32,680 worked, but I managed to get out of the car. 274 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:35,440 I can't remember how I got out of the car and we went and 275 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:40,240 waited in safety. And then I remember that night I 276 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:44,640 sat in my bed and I just, I was scared. 277 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:47,520 I was afraid to go to sleep. I was afraid to shut my eyes 278 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:50,120 because I thought I'm going to just see the pictures or it 279 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,400 playing again in my mind about what happened. 280 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:55,200 And I didn't want those flashbacks. 281 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,760 And so I just, I said, God, I need you to show me where you 282 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:01,720 were when that happened. What were you doing when that 283 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:04,640 happened? Not in an accusatory way, 284 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:06,640 although he could have taken it if that's what it was. 285 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:11,240 Just saying God show me, and I saw so clearly in my mind's eye 286 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:15,920 a bird's eye view of what had happened and God kind of just 287 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,800 above the whole thing as we were driving along. 288 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,240 And then he came down and as we went off into the ditch, he 289 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,120 stood at the tree and he braced so that the car couldn't go any 290 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,200 further into the tree so that we didn't lose our lives. 291 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:35,240 And from that moment I slept peacefully, one of the most 292 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:38,840 traumatic experiences of my life that could have plagued me night 293 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:42,120 by night by night. I never slept in worry. 294 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:46,120 I never had nightmares about it. I never replayed that in my head 295 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:50,200 because he had made new the picture that I had experienced. 296 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:52,400 He's the God that makes everything new. 297 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:55,480 He's the God that makes everything whole, that restores 298 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:57,720 everything. Anything that the enemy would 299 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:00,640 mean for evil, he can turn around and make it good. 300 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:03,720 And so if you have had a traumatic experience of 301 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:07,240 something, if you have something in your life that is plaguing 302 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:10,280 you with worry or fear, God can come and make it new. 303 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:14,040 The Shalom peace of God can come and make whole the very thing 304 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:17,200 that would try and cripple you with fear and anxiety. 305 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:20,520 God, show me where you were. Maybe that's going to be your 306 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:24,680 prayer today. The promise of God's peace is to 307 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:28,480 be experienced. How do we experience that if our 308 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:32,400 prayer life is part of that, if talking to God is part of that, 309 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,440 how can my prayer life increase to a greater level? 310 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:39,880 You know, prayer doesn't have to be this big onerous thing that 311 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:42,520 you kind of think, oh, must sit down and pray for an hour. 312 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:47,120 It's our constant conversation with God, including him in the 313 00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:50,640 small things, in the big things, in the things that technically 314 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:53,640 take no decision at all. It's including him. 315 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:55,680 Pete Gregg says this great quote. 316 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,880 It says your prayer life is at its best when you pray about the 317 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:03,000 small things continually, not the big things occasionally. 318 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:08,680 Just talk to him. He hears and he promises us his 319 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:13,320 peace as we talk to him about everything, as we thank Him for 320 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:15,920 all that he has done. Peace is a promise. 321 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:20,640 And thirdly, we can know peace in a person. 322 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:26,360 I see no coincidence that the verse directly before our key 323 00:18:26,360 --> 00:18:29,760 verse today is about the Father sending the Holy Spirit to us. 324 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:32,720 And then Jesus says, I'm leaving you with a gift. 325 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:38,800 The Holy Spirit is peace. He is the Spirit of peace. 326 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,120 We see in Galatians where it talks about the fruit of the 327 00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:47,200 Spirit is Lovejoy, peace. And so when we receive the Holy 328 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:50,880 Spirit, we can receive the promise of His peace. 329 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:55,760 And if true peace is complete wholeness and oneness, then how 330 00:18:55,760 --> 00:19:00,240 could we truly experience peace without God, without the Holy 331 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:03,560 Spirit who restores and makes broken things whole again? 332 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:10,160 When Jesus tells us that he's giving us a gift, it's his peace 333 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:12,800 he's giving us. And if the Prince of Peace, as 334 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:17,560 Scripture said, is giving us his peace, then he's giving us the 335 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,960 Spirit of peace. He's giving us the Holy Spirit. 336 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:23,920 He's not saying John's got a gift for you, hope it's up to 337 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:26,000 scratch. He's literally saying here's 338 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,640 part of the Godhead to walk with you, to dwell within you, the 339 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:33,680 Spirit of God who is peace, who lacks nothing, who has no 340 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:37,480 imperfections, who is the epitome of Shalom, wholeness, 341 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:40,840 and the one who can be fully trusted to be true to his word. 342 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,920 The Greek word for advocate, which is referring to the Holy 343 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:50,000 Spirit in this passage is paracolettos, which means more 344 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,960 than just the word advocate. It means one to stand next to 345 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:57,120 you as a helper, or in many words, councillor, comforter, 346 00:19:57,120 --> 00:20:00,480 advocate, encourager, intercessor, helper. 347 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:05,160 And so when we invite the Holy Spirit into every part of our 348 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,800 lives and we ask Him to fill us, what we're saying is that He is 349 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:10,640 in the driver's seat in our lives. 350 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:13,480 And So what He's allowed to do when we put Him in the driver's 351 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:17,680 seat is to govern our hearts, our lives, our minds, to direct 352 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:21,640 us, to redirect us when we get off track, to lead us, to guide 353 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:24,400 us. And that's all about surrender. 354 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:29,120 Surrender of my will and my ways and my desires to His ways. 355 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:36,160 In Romans 8 it says the mind governed by the Spirit is life 356 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:41,040 and peace, but the mind governed by the flesh, which is our 357 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:44,600 desires, the things we want to do, our sinful ways, our 358 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:49,640 mistakes, The mind governed by the flesh leads to death. 359 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:56,560 And so when we allow God to be the Lord of our lives, the Lord 360 00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:00,040 of our minds, the Lord of our emotions, the Lord of our 361 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:08,000 actions, we're offered peace. Life and peace and peace came in 362 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,560 the form of a person when Jesus came to earth. 363 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:15,200 And then Jesus sent us peace in the form of the Holy Spirit, so 364 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:19,400 that we would know that the heart of God for His people is 365 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:24,280 that we would live at peace. We thank you, God, that your 366 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:29,080 peace is a gift to us that we could never have earned but we 367 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:31,720 don't deserve. But you freely give it to us. 368 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:37,680 We step into the promise of your peace. 369 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:43,440 We receive you, Holy Spirit. Anything of brokenness come out 370 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:48,960 in the name of Jesus. Anything of pain be restored in 371 00:21:48,960 --> 00:22:00,520 the name of Jesus. God, we pray that minds and 372 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:04,840 bodies and emotions would be restored and renewed and made 373 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:10,200 whole in your name. It's your power alone and your 374 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:13,720 peace alone that can come and bring this kind of restoration. 375 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:20,560 And so we welcome you. The Lord bless you and keep you. 376 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:24,400 The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 377 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:28,280 The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.