Sunday Worship 9 AM 02/20/22

now let's give glory to the lord this presence has filled this house whatever jesus did in the days of his flesh he can do here right now by the power of his spirit he is continuing to work amen through his body the church by the holy ghost amen what a great god we serve amen there's nothing outside the scope of his power his governance he works in ungodly kings to fulfill his will how much more through his beloved saints his disciples people that follow him because he worked through his body the church so i want you to make yourself available you may feel like you're a weak member of the body of christ but you're in the body so let the strength of the body and the strength of the head of jesus christ float down through you amen hallelujah amen but a wonderful presence of the lord is here and that's because of your walk with god if last week you felt the presence of god and had a tremendous experience with god but then between then and now not much has happened you may feel like you're starting where you were last week and you might be right so this week i encourage you to engage with the lord in prayer and fasting and engaging with daily worship and then when we come together let god use you as an instrument of his glory and power to minister to the body of christ if you're watching online engage with us spiritually so the lord can be there in your home or wherever you're gathered amen it is so good to see all of you i'd like for you to open your bibles to the book of john chapter 14 and while you're turning there i want to take a moment to uh congratulate brother zach davey this past week he was appointed as director promotions for the georgia district youth department thank you for being faithful in section 5 and i know you're going to do a tremendous job serving our district i always been taught and this is what i was allowed to do in the past that to be involved in the work of god beyond our local church i feel like in the same way we give our money when we give our time and talent that god blesses us for giving so we allow our team volunteers and staff members to be involved beyond atlanta west because we believe it always comes back to us because you cannot out out-give god amen john 14 27 the words of jesus christ peace i leave with you my peace i give unto you not as a world giveth give i unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid i want to speak from this passage today peace under pressure please be seated and open your heart to the word of god amen not all pressure is bad if it's kept in balance the pressure mounts when we perceive that the demands that are being placed on us are more than our ability to respond with adequate resources we feel like we're in over our head we're not up to the challenge there's more pressure than there are resources more expectations that we are able to respond to unable to meet the demands and we feel pressure all of us experience external pressures in our life one of the greatest pressures i feel is the pressure of time you plan your trip to take an hour and you've confirmed when you'll arrive but there's more traffic than you anticipated welcome to atlanta there's an accident and you soon realize that you're going to be late and you feel pressure i recently told someone that the distance between our house and their house was about five traffic jams and three accidents that's how far away they were financial pressure is debilitating pressure you have bills to pay that are due and you do not have enough money in your bank account to cover them first of all go to financial peace university but also pray that god that financial pressure is a paralyzing pressure the pressure of deadlines you have a deadline to deliver a project at school or on your job and you don't have enough time to complete it no matter how hard you've worked and you feel pressure there's a pressure of unfulfilled expectations you're trying to do your best but it seems like you're not measuring up to the expectations that are being placed on you you feel like the bar is constantly being raised that the goal post is constantly being moved and the harder you try the more behind you get you feel inadequate sometimes you may feel a little helpless and it creates a lot of pressure now you may not feel like this is true for you but sometimes we feel pressure to please other people there's peer pressure there are cultural expectations you don't want to let someone down there's the pressure to conform to the world the apostle paul talked about it daniel felt like it that pressure when it became illegal to pray and the three hebrew young men felt the pressure to cave in to worship an idol of course they did not bow down these are all forms of external pressure and that affects us internally on the inside we feel that pressure but then there's also pressure that's generated from the inside not because of external forces that are pressing in on us there's the pressure that we put on ourselves to perform or to succeed and all the perfectionists could say amen or owe me amen there's the pressure that peers place on us and i intentionally wanted to talk about this for a moment because the old youth pastor inside of me won't let it go but as i've grown older i've realized that peer pressure is not just for teenagers peer pressure exists in every season of life and the reason that peer pressure is pressure is because of our own insecurity and desire for the approval of other people we feel pressure about the future that we're not able to face it and we fear the future some people do and it can be a debilitating pressure now i know that there are some wise ways practical ways to deal with pressure first of all you don't need to undermine yourself by doing things that put you under more pressure than is necessary caving into peer pressure and compromising principles adds more pressure to your life it doesn't take pressure away impulsive spending adds more pressure to your life it doesn't alleviate pressure walking out when there is a conflict and a relationship does not solve anything at all it just creates more stress there's some positive things that you can do to reduce pressure in your life you can plan and work ahead and that will help relieve the pressure that comes from procrastination you can list the things that are causing pressure to try to identify them and deal with them specifically instead of feeling overwhelmed by a giant blob of pressure you can take care of your body and get adequate rest you can create margin in your life that will help you deal with the stress that comes from pressure you can cultivate healthy attitudes in your life if you remember the sermon i preached the lesson i taught quoting brother jt pew i don't i don't hate nobody if you'll get rid of an unforgiving attitude and repent of bitterness and get that out of your system you'll find a lot of relief from stress in your life you can forgive and be forgiven and relieve the pressure of broken relationships you can internalize biblical principles so you'll see life's trouble from god's point of view but with all that said when you have done all the practical things possible to deal with pressure you need to know that god has given us spiritual power when we are under pressure spiritual pressure cannot be alleviated or addressed by fleshly or natural means you cannot plan your way out of it you cannot think your way out of it you cannot talk your way out of it when the source of pressure is spiritual you must respond with spiritual power that comes from the holy spirit amen you cannot fight spirit with flesh as helpful as trying to manage your stress can be you cannot have peace under pressure by behavioral changes alone you can practice deep breathing exercises you can take all the vacations you can afford all the extra days off but when stress is spiritual you've got to call on the resources that come from almighty god to help you create strength on the inside to resist pressure on the outside there are times when spiritual pressure comes from a frontal attack from satan he just has your number he desires to sift you like wheat as jesus told the apostle peter but there are times that i have learned that satan piles on he piles pressure on top of the normal stresses that you are feeling in your life you feel a little time pressure and he attaches a spiritual attack to that you've got some friction in a relationship and he attacks there at that point of weakness don't you know that the bible said he's seeking he's going about trying to find a person that he can devour he's looking for an opening a weakness he's looking for you to give him a chance to attack you in a place of weakness the apostle paul wrote about this in second corinthians 7 5 when we arrived in macedonia there was no rest for us we faced conflict from every direction with battles on the outside and fear on the inside there were external pressures that paul was facing from persecutors and trouble that he was going through but he admitted that there was also some stuff going on the inside that only god could help him deal with amen we live in a world that is charged with spiritual pressure every moral institution in our culture is being challenged our values are being turned upside down as the bible said truth has fallen in the street right has become wrong and wrong has become right there is war in our world that is more consequential than any political battle that may be waging in our culture and this war that we are fighting cannot be won on wall street it cannot be won at the ballot box it needs to be one on the knees of christians in altars across america where we fight back in the spirit amen it is a spiritual battle and it must be won by the power of the spirit i believe the bible bears this out that there is an intense and intensifying pressure in this age that is grinding against the age to come i've spoken about this some through the years but i envision the spiritual battle we face in natural terms to get a picture of the problem and you may know that there are tectonic plates that on the earth's crust around the world there's different numbers of them depending on what you read major and minor tectonic plates somewhere around the continents and last night i read that again just to see that picture in my mind and those plates grind against one another in in some places maybe six tenths of an inch a year and other places like california maybe two inches a year that they they grind against one another and and they cause earthquakes and they may affect volcanic activity and and they re reshape the landscape in the spirit world i believe that there are some spiritual forces the forces of this age grinding against the age to come and we are affected by this we feel it in our spiritual our spiritual nature senses this i believe this is the grinding of spiritual and social structures against other one another causing a dramatic shift in the culture of our landscape but as i've been teaching on wednesday nights we should not think that it is strange that there are fiery trials we should not think it's strange that there is pressure in our culture the bible spoke of these last days in very vivid specific terms first timothy paul said that in these last days the spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils they'll have their conscience seared with the hot iron he spoke in second timothy about the last days that perilous or dangerous times would come men would be lovers of themselves and he goes through a list of things that would kind of characterize people in this last day without natural affection they would be fierce they would be despisers of those who are good they would be traitors heady high-minded they would love pleasure more than they would love god they would have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof jude wrote about these last days and he said that there would be mockers in this last time who would walk after their own ungodly lust they separate themselves and they are sensual people but he told us but you beloved building up yourselves on your most holy faith praying in the holy ghost keep yourself in the love of god this is a dangerous hour we live in but it is not a shocking hour it has not come by surprise we were told about this hour 2 000 years ago that in the last of the last days it would be a season of friction of it would be a culture that was battling against the culture to come the world to come where the peace of god would come and the prince of peace would set up his kingdom amen so while this is not an easy time in history i'm encouraged to know that it was not an unexpected day i believe god made us for this power he empowered us for this hour he designed us to be the lights of the world in this hour he gave us a spirit that would keep us he will never leave us and forsake us even to the end of this age we are up to the challenge and the task we can meet the pressure that is being placed on us from the outside and that we feel from the inside this is a period of time prophesied in the bible amen and we feel we feel the tension of these times to make this more clear i want to show you what the apostle paul wrote about this in biblical terms in romans chapter 8. he envisions a woman who is about to have a baby on the part of the mother there's groaning and travailing there is pain the baby on the inside of the womb feels the pressure of being forced out of one environment to another new and unfamiliar one paul wrote about it like this in romans 8 22 for we know that the whole creation groaneth and travail it in pain together unto now a fallen world travailing groaning about to birth something new that is coming in the future and paul then said in verse 23 and not only they not only unregenerated people not just sinners not just ungodly people are feeling something that they cannot explain but we ourselves also which have the first fruit of the spirit even we ourselves grown within ourselves we're waiting for the adoption the change that will come at the coming of the lord and he said we are waiting to wit or the idea of the redemption of our body i've been speaking lately about the end of time when there will be the manifestation of the sons and daughters of god when he is revealed that we will be revealed with him and paul says that until that day comes we are like a woman in travail that is waiting to give birth we feel the pain of the conflict we feel the tension of the times we feel the pressure on the outside and we feel the pressure on the inside think about this mom to be the ninth month of carrying this baby her feet are swelling she's fatigued and miserable with carrying a nine or ten pound baby or maybe less her stomach is tight the baby is moving she can't sleep she lays down she feels the pressure in her back and everywhere else then imagine the pain that she's going to go through in a natural childbirth complete with hard labor paul said that is what we ourselves who have the first fruits of the spirit feel as we pray for and wait for the change that is coming in this world and in our bodies when our mortal puts on immortality and our corruptable puts on incorruption it will happen in a moment in the twinkling of an eye that this age will give birth to the next but the tension of the times is what we feel right now i'm not trying to build this up bigger than it really is i'm preaching what the bible says about where the world will be just prior to the coming of the lord you may not know how to describe it you can't put your finger on it but you feel it some days more than others right now we know this is not the world god designed where there is sin and sickness and death friday afternoon with some folks in our church we stood at a graveside death is always a stranger we were created in the image and likeness of god we were designed to live forever so death is an imposter death is a stranger to us in our world and paul says as we long for this age to come we groan within ourselves is that what you feel sometimes sometimes i i think we don't even understand the stress that we feel maybe you feel a sadness a heaviness some days even a type of depression of course it could be a bad hair day i have those every day it could be a traffic jam a rough day at the office it could be pressures that you're facing in your family all of that is relevant and important but i'm talking about a feeling that is deeper it's not emotional but it is spiritual i believe sometimes god in those moments that you can't explain or put your finger on he's calling us to a place of prayer a spiritual warfare of intercession we're trying to fix it we're trying to find a way to alleviate the pain of the pressure that we're feeling but god is calling us to be being battled with him against the darkness of this age but ultimately what is going on in our world is the clash of two kingdoms rushing headlong toward the final conflict the battle of armageddon the final showdown of good and evil the characters in this unfolding conflict are not nearly as important as the conflict itself for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but we wrestle against principalities and powers we wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places right now i'm speaking a foreign language to the carnal natural mind this may be going over your head or beside your spirit because you only operate in the flesh in the natural but i'm trying to help you identify what you feel at a deeper level that you must rise to fight and face and not ignore it not deny that it exists inside of you satan knows he has a short time to work but god is in the driver's seat steering this world toward his ultimate purpose the conflict will end well for the people of god jesus christ will be revealed as the king of kings and the lord of lords satan will be banished to the bottomless pit forever and we will be revealed as the sons and daughters forgot of god and we will enjoy the pleasures of heaven forever where there is no death sorrow crying neither is there any pain for these former things are passed away that's where we're headed that's our hope and that's our promise amen but we feel now the building of that battle toward the end of all things i i believe that as we approach the coming of the lord that the tension of our times that just spiritual grinding it's the only way not to say it and see it i'm not trying to make that spiritual but but i see that that groaning that grinding that takes place in planet earth as something that is taking place in the spirit jesus knew that the disciples of that day would face lots of pressure following his ascension they would feel alone maybe even abandoned by their leader the messiah but jesus also knew what the disciples of this day would face prior to our ascension our gathering together to him the apostle paul wrote about this in 2 thessalonians 2 said i beseech you brethren by the coming of the lord jesus christ and by our gathering together unto him that you be not seen shaken in mind or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by a letter from us as if the day of christ was at hand he said there is some time between here and there but jesus christ was preparing his disciples then and his disciples now for a world of pressure a world of stress world of anxiety and i believe that more than we even comprehend way more than i even comprehend that our world is convulsing with the pains of travail that this earth is groaning and we are groaning in pain like that friction caused by the tectonic plates this earth this age grinding and colliding against the age to come yet we try to pinpoint our pressure and find a natural cause for it is it the financial uncertainty and strain of inflation is it the cultural climate trying to cancel christianity is it the moral decay that's undermining the foundation of the very family unit god design is it the spirit of lawlessness that is so pervasive in our culture you can attempt to point circumstances as a source of stress and it can be a factor but the circumstances are often just a symptom of the deeper problem jesus said in this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer i have overcome the world and it is in the context of all of that when i come to our text today in the final week of jesus's earthly ministry it takes his disciples aside for a time of intense teaching john chapters 14 15 16 or 1 discourse by jesus to his disciples john chapter 17 is his prayer of intercession for believers john 18 the process of the crucifixion begins jesus opens this lesson this teaching in john 14 by saying let not your heart be troubled and then in verse 27 the text we read earlier peace i leave with you my peace i give unto you not as the world giveth give i unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid jesus first said peace i leave with you now in the jewish culture this was a common form of a benediction you may say shalom in a greeting or shalom in a parting are the benediction of a prayer peace it was common to speak words of peace to friends and greeting and in departure but with jesus christ he's saying something more significant something deeper he was going to the cross the grave to heaven he was leaving something with them he was not leaving them alone these were not empty words it was not just a farewell it was substantive it was something that he was going to deposit into them my peace i leave with you and then he said my peace i give unto you this is an impartation that would come to them with the holy ghost the holy ghost is righteous as peace and joy right that's the kingdom of god amen this would be a residing peace it would be an abiding peace something tangible that he could give something tangible in the spirit that you could receive i will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me right he's not giving us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind my peace i leave with you peace i i give unto you amen peace was not merely the absence of war it is a result of a right relationship with god for before you were saved you were an enemy of god but now that you are changed by the power of the holy ghost your death to sin and repentance your water baptism in the name of the lord jesus christ your filling of the holy ghost brought you peace with god amen it was peace by the blood of his cross and jesus said i am leaving my peace with you i am giving my peace with you amen storms would not shake the peace jesus slept through storms jesus could stand before the sanhedrin before the roman governor pilate and remained silent unruffled he was peace and so he had peace he had peace that the pain of the present would produce the power of god for the people who believed in him it was this peace that he he gave his disciples through the power of the holy ghost and it was this piece that was on stephen's face as he was stoned to death and said not lay not this sin to their charge they looked on his face as he was dying it was like the face of an angel it was a piece that was inside of peter while he slept the night before they were planning to kill him he was locked hands and foot but he slept all night long because jesus gave him a peace he left him a peace that was past understanding yeah this was the kind of peace that paul and silas felt in that philippian jail when they prayed and sang praises at midnight this is the kind of peace that paul felt when he said i know that bars and afflictions are by me but none of these things move me neither count on my life dear unto myself there's a peace that is inside of me that is keeping me when the pressure on the outside and the pressure on the inside is trying to destroy me [Applause] my peace i give you this is a piece that john the writer of this book felt when he was banners to the isle of patenas but patmos could not keep him from the presence of the lord he said i was in the spirit on the lord's day it was a church of one on patmos jesus said my peace i give you [Applause] that's it receiving right now following preaching let the word of god impart peace to your spirit [Applause] my peace i give you jesus said not as the world gifts there's a huge difference peace treaties can be signed and shattered in short order deals brokered or broken within hours sometimes peace jesus said it's not like the world gives the peace the world gives is transient circumstantial it's fragile emotional peace comes and goes with the wind that blows the peace that jesus gives is totally different jesus said the peace not as the world gives give i unto you it is permanent not passing it will keep you under pressure it will keep you in perfect peace whose mind has stayed on him regardless of what's going on in our world i know we can work ourselves up we can undermine what god is doing we can fear and forget what god has said in his work or we can rely on him peace that jesus gives will keep you then jesus said john 14 27 let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid don't let your heart shrink back from anything that you naturally fear let not your heart be troubled i've read that phrase this last phrase and multiple commentaries trying to find something really really really deep that i've never seen before and what it really means is talk to your heart and don't let it be troubled neither be afraid pretty straightforward don't let cowardice displace your courage jesus said i'm going away but my peace i leave with you my peace i give you not as the world gives give i unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid so let me ask you what have you been thinking what have you been feeling have you felt like the psalmist david psalm 55 david said lord hear my prayer don't hide while i'm praying to you lord hear me i'm restless in my complaint and i i moan noisily david said there's the voice of my enemy and there's the oppression of the wicked and they bring trouble upon me and in their wrath they hate me i said my heart is pain within me and the tears of death have fallen upon me and i feel fearfulness and trembling they've come on me and horror has overwhelmed me he's in a pretty bad place and then he has a human solution he said oh that i had the wings of a dove i would just fly away and be at rest i would wander off and remain in the wilderness what a solution do you some days wish you could buy a one-way ticket to nowhere to fly away and be at rest have you ever thought about getting in the car and just driving away wandering far off david said he wanted to go there and just stay there wherever there is he told us the wilderness i've had people tell me they felt that way before have you considered walking away from your marriage your commitments your calling a couple weeks ago brother howell focused in on this and our services and i i believe god's speaking to people have you sitting here today watching online have you even tried to escape through drugs or alcohol or ungodly entertainment even escape to something like pornography do you feel like the voice in your head that your head is in a vice your stomach in a constant knot is your blood pressure soaring are you suffering from stress related chest pains are you haunted by the failures of your past do you fear the uncertainties of the future you feel like you're not up to the challenge don't quite measure up i'm not trying to humiliate today at you today i'm not trying to call you out from the word of god and by the holy ghost i want to help you because despair is real there were times when moses and elijah great prophets of god wish that they could die but they did not take their lives they turned to god in prayer the apostle paul said in second corinthians 1 8 for we would not brethren have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in asia that we were pressed out of measure above strength in so much that we despaired even of life but jesus would speak into that pressure and say peace i leave with you john 14 27 my peace i give unto you not as the world giveth give i unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid would you bow your heads right now and let's pray dear lord god i have felt this message in my spirit for over two weeks and i do not know lord the details of circumstances in everyone's life and i never try to figure that out because you are our lord and you know exactly where we are and i trust your word lord god and i trust the power of your spirit that you have allowed your word to be like an arrow shot from a bow that your word o god is discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart god you are mining deep into the spirit of a person you're dealing with that depression if you would join me and just pray for yourself or pray for someone else right now if you don't feel like you need this message today we all know you'll need it one day but would you pray with me right now because i felt a sense of desperation as i prepared and prayed over this message last night in men's prayer as i prayed everyone left i prayed and i felt a desperation in my spirit to battle in the holy ghost for someone here today or someone who may be watching online i do not know but i know god knows where you are and he wants to give you peace while you are under so much pressure so cry out to the lord now would you that's it pray pray lift your voice and pray i know if you're feeling pressure if you're feeling defeat it's hard to pray out loud i know you're praying in your spirit but i want to help you kind of pray till you can pray through that and receive the peace of god that passes all understanding it will keep your heart and mind through christ jesus but the peace of god lord that is beyond understanding keep our hearts and minds oh god [Music] hallelujah i pray that the lord of peace will give you peace hallelujah jesus [Music] hallelujah i said pray just a little while maybe you see somebody in your mind that the lord has brought to your mind to pray for today whether they are here or not but you pray for them someone that's in a perilous place they're in a place of spiritual danger they're in a place of turmoil they're at a decision point but today the peace of god is going to pull them in not let them drift away if you're able would you please stand this altar is open i don't want anyone to feel conspicuous so i'm gonna invite everyone who is physically able but you come to this altar [Music] [Applause] i said come leave room for others to come in the aisles come as close as you're able to [Music] name come [Applause] [Music] shine through the shadows [Music] name is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] your name is [Music] your name is [Music] is [Music] jesus [Music] i speak the holy days [Applause] jesus [Music] [Applause] is holy name of jesus is um is [Music] is [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] amen if it's feasible would you pray with someone near you right now we do this a lot because there's power in prayer there's power and unity there's power when two or three agree on anything is touching heaven [Music] jesus made we're praying to push back darkness we're praying peace and then there's the pressure [Music] [Applause] [Music] we're praying for spiritual resources [Music] [Applause] [Music] that's it in jesus name lord i pray god i pray that you will drive out the darkness of depression i pray lord god that you would give peace and anxiety i pray o lord god to you to give perspective to someone he's been trying to escape the pressure lord not being able to put their finger on its source but today we call it out we call it out lord and we call you god to cast it out her perfect love casts out fear [Music] [Applause] [Music] that's it that's it there's peace there is peace [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] amen this is one of the attributes of the holy ghost it's more than just speaking in tongues it is comfort it's a tide it is the peace of god that passes understanding it is a kingdom of god that is righteousness peace and joy in the holy ghost now let's begin to worship him across his house because peace brings joy [Applause] [Music] i speak the holy name jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] jesus jesus is jesus [Music] amen just keep praying but i just want to invite you to be baptized in jesus name if you've never been baptized in the name of jesus i want to invite you to receive the gift of the holy ghost today but the evidence of speaking in a language you never learn jesus is here and his peace is imparted by his spirit it is the holy ghost that brings righteousness peace and joy amen and we need the peace that jesus gives that's it that's it in jesus name lord [Music] i pray that you would take this message home with you and that you would apply it and when fear attacks you when pressures come on you would you respond first from your spirit there may be practical solutions practical steps to take but let's face this first by the power of peace that comes to the holy ghost amen let's worship the lord again i love you jesus [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] your name is [Applause] [Music] is [Music] shine through the shadows [Music] jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] she [Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Music] amen i want to make another appeal for baptism if you'll let someone know a baptismal team is waiting changing rooms garments everything you need to take the name of jesus you cannot rise to walk in the newness of life until you die to your old life in repentance and are buried to that old life by baptism of jesus christ amen amen now james said in a practical way that if you see somebody that has a practical need and you just say to them depart and peace be warmed and filled but that doesn't really do the job so while i've preached about peace today i want to challenge you to remind you that as you go throughout your week you see somebody that has a need don't just give them a little christian shalom peace minister to them in a practical way in the name of jesus christ show the love of god in practical ways amen make an eternal difference in their life and bring them into a relationship with you common ground to lead them to a relationship with jesus christ on holy ground connect them to the body of christ in the earth that's the church amen so god bless you peace be unto you jesus said my peace i leave with you amen let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid let god give you peace under pressure amen