Walking With Peace Through Difficult Times (Filled up ready)
Just a bit, Lonesome in the thing. Otherwise, you'll hate me in Mexico. But I guess they can hit me in Mexico anyway, cuz of the internet.
But I think I'll take good morning, everybody. We live in interesting times. Maybe you don't feel that interesting times. But Set me a snake in the world. Some people might say the end is coming. That's true. The end is coming. It's closer today than it was yesterday.
What does not change our perspective, eyewear, they want to speak for a place of his own world getting refrained in this time. I don't know whether you've had the inconvenience of going into a Wix or Building Supplies to try and get some face masks, and be told, you're only allowed one pack,
Why one pack because I know this to be true because I've been taking some of these students have a Chinese students, the other nationalities about them and send them back home. Maybe you didn't convenience play only being allowed to have one sanitizer in 10 to sanitize is in your favorite came. It's whatever your favorite chemist is but he's bending convenience. It's an inconvenience. I bought a sanitized when in, in London on my way in to take you on Thursday and the lady behind me aside, is there any more to the lady in the shop? And she went and I want, it said you can have Already wasn't. I I I was just buying one just to take him to the classroom. I just really want to stop for a point of view. I, we've just feeling we're being inconvenienced. I want to talk to us this morning about walking with peace in difficult times. John 14 verses 1 through 4 says this. Let's not your hearts be troubled, you believe in God believe. Also in me in my father's house are many mansions. If it were not. So I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am that you will be also and where I go, you know, and the way you know, Let not your heart, be troubled, let not your heart be troubled. I mean, so easy, I mean, the news is just so full of stuff that we end up talking only about the latest faces of things. I think, what about my heart? What about my life? What about my relationships? Even if I was praying just to step up and share this morning, I sent someone in the room with someone online or maybe somebody's listening lights on, who has thoughts of someone, you haven't spoken to for years. I did miss my, when you're just thinking, maybe I should speak to them, go for it. And let me encourage you go for a time to reach out and speak, to those who have become disconnected. Through relationship breakdown through isolation, speak to speak to him. Speak two lines, do not let your heart be troubled. That's a choice. Do not let do not let. Let me know that there's a place where we can allow it wearing now, who's the gatekeeper of our house. We all win the great, keep his boss. We choose what we allow in or not just in the same way you choose or witches who were going to listen into our house and someone comes and knocks on the door. Do I come to check the electricity meter? I would like one of those, I don't know whether that kosher or not, you choose whether we allow them in or not. We choose what we are allowed to affect the Hawks will? No, no.
Was part of the solution, part of the solution is to believe in God, believe. Also in Jesus but God has gone before it goes on to say in June 14th. And it says we'll go and prepare a place for you. We could also read that in some 23, I have prepared a place at the banqueting table he goes before us. This is not, this is not new to God these times, and not times of my God, he's stepping away is stepping in. Just this morning said, the truth of the word and take it and share it and see what will happen.
I've seen pictures and I seen shells myself to the completely empty of things. I think I just don't understand, I don't understand why. Suddenly we've seem to need the toilet more because we need more.
And the other alternatives to toilet paper, that long ago, when my grandmother used to talk to me about using newspaper in the little room outside. And now we have a room inside the house book. Why we need more 24. I have no clue. I have no clue. But I think, I think what drives it is a selfish spirit. I haven't got enough and just in case I might not have tomorrow or next week or the month off tonight, I'll get more. Might believe the Kingdom's, the kingdom of generosity and of selflessness. So, let me encourage you. If you got 24, let me stick with the toilet, roll for him. If you got too many and you want to share some, with someone who hasn't got some time for it, go for it. This season, let's be generous. Not selfish, Philippines chapter, 22 verses 12 and 13 says this apple. My beloved as you have always afraid not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence work out your salvation with fear and trembling what is God, who works in you both to Will and to do for his good pleasure in good times, and bad. He's working in us and through us, we can be the light-bearers. We can be the carriers of the wood and we could tighten. That doesn't mean we have to be breaking any guidance, he's from whether you choose to handshake or not. What do you want to do the elbow? Whatever it is you want to do? We can we can we can talk to people through the door. Let me give you a couple of things that I've been thinking about and preparing to do. We know the phone numbers of all Neighbors. I'm going to go I'm going to go to the scripture about who is my head too old to be crazy to say what I feel like you but I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I just hope a good thing would be to know his phone number, at least we could check and leave it on the doorstep. We don't have to compromise their immunity Berry is whatever the point I'm making is. Let's let's not allow me to shut down. Let's push in and use the technology to reach out to me. The fact that we're reaching out that I am sure there will be more people watching today than they were last week, just finished loading. So there are more people think 500 minutes of the service last week before the service has finished. That's what a lot of people from all around the world. And so actually, I think this will be a game-changer in moving, will call those people to change, habits will cause church has to change habits. Maybe they might have to take it for Mourinho, Lorraine. And then, let me see if I can find it.
Workout out Salvation, let's get on with doing, what? We've been cool to do, Philippians, 4, verses, 6 and 7.
Be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication. With Thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God in the peace of God. Which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and Minds through Christ Jesus. Now, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't be concerned, but I anxiety becomes a lifestyle anxiety, will lead to pressure living in a blood pressure goes up.
But don't live in a place of anxiety, how do we get out of that place? When we bring it back to go, please help me and the peace of God, which passes all understanding Preseason amazing thing. If we can have peace over a situation that we can have peace over. Circumsion, we behave differently. We have computers in five. We behave differently. We are going to go see before us. He goes with us. I'm so let's do it with Thanksgiving.
We know the parable of the Good Samaritan, I'm going to read just a couple of Icees at the beginning. In the end of Luke chapter 10, Jesus is talked about the power of the Good Samaritan. I'm one of the disciples says in verse 29. He says this Has. He wants to justify himself. Who is my neighbor? Okay, I've already answered that question for where you live, but also waiting for the best to go left into a, right? And then when we then people will be home, working will be home working, but sometimes I think we need to reframe things that will be on Thursday.
And I was talking about is being an inconvenience. We have to go to work.
Cuz you're no longer having to get on the train and go an extra 10 hours, you can do something with what are you going to do with that? He said, I'd never thought about that. Let me rephrase in your world, instead of spending the time sitting on the train, reading a book. You will now have the freedom to choose. Maybe you could try the epidural home, you be meeting to tidy up for weeks. Maybe you could decorate a room in those 10 hours cuz you will no longer have to commute place. People are choosing to isolate yourself. Why? So late for everything, but maybe you're still feeling pretty healthy. What are you going to do in the isolation? I am sure. We have a to-do list of things. We love to get round to do now.
Now is the opportunity to do some of those things. Call st. Martin
opportunity to get to know people in different ways and different dimensions connected with him. And think about it, new opportunities. Let's type PC phones given us please let's take it and give it to somebody else cuz I believe that God gives us more than enough. So if we pressed down and running over full of peace that we can afford to be pulled out a little, we can afford for a little peace to flow from our lives to others if we can speak. Peace.
Then maybe that would be just like dropping. Oil almost. I just bring peace to people's situations and Hobson seconds that they giving away a little bit of his place of Peace, beyond our own understanding, double two, incredible. Amazing things. I believe we are in a season of New Opportunities. I believe we're in the season when we will refrain things. I mean, what I said in the beginning is true that I see we all closest the end times. And does not driving. So you can move to want to talk to the important people about the important things. Miniature is closer. We could read Revelation that we can read about plagues and pestilences and Locust in earthquakes. That have happened in the last few months with increasing regularity. If that's true. They shouldn't drive us to try. And reach people that made me have to go running to the wicked. Shall we can speak peace and pursue it. Romans 8 verse 28. I know, we know you scripture, but in this season, how will they Supply? And we know that all things. What some things, all things work together for good, to those who love God, to those, who are called according to his purposes.
I think if I look back over the last 20 years, it's been a number times. When you might see this being a reset going on in community around the world, Y2K Set. The bulb is going to come to an end. All the computers are going to stop the power. Generating plants wouldn't switch on. We got through it. The credit crunch in 2000 like a step change control reset.
Smoking with the young man. Who, what would he be about? 26 27, some of the things I'm feeling right now, it's probably way back to be feeding this kind of concern. But maybe there's a control-alt-delete coming on it flows. The one computer geeks in the room. Ctrl-alt-delete is what you do when you want to reset your computer and restart it. Maybe there was a recession going on. I'm so in the midst of this journey, will we take peace and pursue it will be walk with peace into our situations. Will we allow paste to fill us up? I'm not the other stuff. Let's allow priests to overwhelm us know those circumstances. Like I got into a habit now. If I don't use the phrase under the circumstances, when people say, how are you doing?
Well, am I under the circumstances or because of who I am in Christ. I'm full of pace. And I will pursue more.
I'm sorry. We now turn to post lecture to the Thessalonians 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5. And just let me read you just a couple of icta, but I'd encourage you to read the whole of the first part of this 4:3 says this, for when they say peace and safety and then, suddenly destruction comes upon them when they say, peace and safety.
What stops US? Well, in this time, I would go on to read from verse six and say that will let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
Let's be ready to have capacity to do things. Let's be ready to share more to respond to him.
So that we can give, I'm sure I'm bending bus 11. It says, this that for comfort each other and Eddie fight one another. Just as you are also doing Eddie flight and courage in this current climate, I think encouragement is one of the things that rapidly disappearing
It doesn't mean you have to meet people just you can just wait for them to say hey how you doing? We can watch that we can we can text, we can pick up the phone, we can do all these things.
I'm so what are we is a church going to be doing well some of the things just want to put up with the boys or something, but when we do we'll keep you informed and things are changing who left work on Friday nights that I'm going to work on Monday and now they know it's moving fast so it will ask them. When I went missing this morning, I don't know whether I'll be honest with you if we were in Belgium right now, we wouldn't be meeting. Play clothes on even small meetings but we will keep you informed as best we can on the website. So go encouraged people to do that. We have lots of ways of sharing materials, I'm going to encourage us to look in this next season to the Bible study on right now, media. Which I was shared by every pothole, my pulse to be kind will look at Colossians together, tell me something to eat, maybe that's something you could do with you, maybe you could share in the Bible study, maybe you could share it with somebody else. What are the things we now Pacific Time. Now facility is with the Bible studies, that we will gather around on right now media. You can share with your friends and they will be able to access it to. So it's not some things and we will help where we can where is wise to do. So I don't promise, we can do whatever you need. But we can, we can help. We were talking on here with people on Jenny was I'm talking to some of the people in all straight and so I can can we have some phone numbers so that if somebody is housebound, I need some shopping delivered in that thing, done to the internet as a neighbor. That's why we could step up and do some things. And then what, what I'm hoping we can do. We can do personally, stay in touch with people like you to a place of loneliness. Being on your own is not the same as loneliness. It's a mindset and I see, maybe if you are on your own in the house and then you have to self-isolate for whatever reason. Let somebody know so that we can, we can have you in mind. We can pray for you. We can talk to you. I can pick up the phone and ring you if that's what you want, but please do stay in touch, reach out to people through your mind. this may not apply to just people in the room and people are part of church but maybe, just anybody take this one, another I think the economy for the next season I'm going through my money now, the encouragement economy is on the decline and I think we as it just needs a playoff ought to invest encouragement Bless others. Speak good things over them. If you happen to bump into someone and you can send me something on your mind, speak, good things, other than pray for them, right? Blessings upon their life, right? Blessings upon us, what you can safely and whites. But that's not hold back to church. Let's not split but I can go who I'm going to hunker down going to. This is saying, I guess translates into other cultures, but I think you should entire Macy's Castle. My message back to saying it but there's something there about. Okay, let me get in the house. Let me Shut the doors. Let me Shut the world out. I'm site. I'm okay.
Would you know what I mean? I want to encourage us to make sure others are okay to do what we can in this season to bring peace to other people to bring, hope to other people in the midst of bringing peace and hope I am. Absolutely sure. We will have opportunities to share the gospel. What makes you say what you say and he has Because he's done It Before. He'll Do It Again. And people don't have to come to church for a miracle to happen. People that have to come to church for us to pray. People don't have to come to church to engage with church. We were already engaging 24/7 through the internet. We're already engaging the world through this little church. We're doing that and we're reaching the nation's. And if you want to, let me give you an example of how you might be able to help us in this endeavor, the number of pages on the website yesterday afternoon, just to make them more more appropriate if you want to go look at the church website and if you think that's something missing, let us know. Because it's not perfect. It's nowhere near perfect but it's a work in progress and it's another way of connecting with people. I'm absolutely certain season. People will come to Christ for the first time cuz I would have asked questions. I've never asked before. They need people to ask those questions about the trips. I see you in me. God, where are you?
Why is this happening? Now, we may not feel. We have the answers, but he does. I've been many times in my life, I've being asked questions. I don't know the answer to. Let me give you one of my so-called to draw this too. If I had the privilege four seasons of being a chaplain in such a place, I know you buy Stover in Guilford, Guilford on a regular basis. And one of the things I was responsible for once a week and I was walking across the camp. I go to write in the morning in Mount Brown over in Guilford. The whole Firearms Tiburon GT today before that shift gathering together in the counseling, doing a pretty, pretty free with them and he said, what is the answer to? What we've done, everything that we trying to do? And we have to pull the trigger. What is don't think?
I'll be honest with you, you just had today?
Which I hope helped, but I was just honest and I don't know. No one's ever asked me that question before that is a perfectly valid answer. Because he speaks about living fight, it speaks of a fight that says, I am growing and developing and finding out more about the Savior that I know. And the God that I believe it. Do we know people who know me too well with people who know something and that's what people might be willing to ask people to run the Jenny, can I join you on your journey that you seem to have? Can I get some of it? Absolutely. Why don't you come and join me on the Jenny having a conversation? Having a conversation and seek peace and pursue it.
In this season of change. In this season, I'm certain there are a few things that are absolutely certain. Teresa. He's there for us, his people. And he wants to get to know us, he's a creative God and he's a redeeming. God, he created the world, he put mayonnaise in it over it and then we made a bit of a mess of it and now he's having to retrieve it. And his Redemption plan was Jesus, is our only son who paid the price cuz he is a just God. He paid the price for you and for me so we can have a continuing relationship with our creator code. So in this season of uncertainty in this season, the train, let's walk with confidence at work without even sometimes.
Let's just see what Google do. I need for a
father God, thank you and we can meet Thank you for all those who are in the room. Those who are listening online nicer listing like the father. Thank, you know, we can continue to declare that you all got Even despite cells begin to you. Oh God, even despite people having having symptoms you all gone. Even despite people isolating for whatever, reasons at home you off to, you are Lord of all and so I probably got it. I prayed that you'd rot caused fight. The rise up in Us by seeing you and fighting your son and fighting your word and we will stop with boldness into the days ahead with confidence. and with pace, For Your Glory.
Just before Lexie comes back to Tuesday.
