Clash of The Kingdoms (Shoes of The Gospel)

You're listening to the Cross Kingdom Sermon of the Week. We hope you enjoyed

this message from Justin Carpenter. Also, visitors, welcome again. And if

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you can't wait to get out of here, because we scare you, we

love you anyways, bless you. Would you keep coming back? I know

a place and yeah, if you all. As far as baptisms, you

know, September seventeenth we did baptisms and we did seventeen baptisms and uh yeah

and one and one family I think baptized nine family members. Yeah, and

so we are excite. Now I will say this, y'all, we are

probably not going to do any more baptisms until spring for the sake of your

skin, because the water is going to be It was a little chilly the

last time, just a smidge, just a smidge, But yeah, we

probably don't want to be doing baptisms in December unless we are going to do

them extremely quick. So but don't worry. We will have heated we will

have heated water in the new location, the new the new building, and

then we can do them all the time, right we one time we did

them over who was here when we had the little pool in here? Only

four or five of you where the entire church go So we're can what's a

oh, yes, thank you? Anthony. Anthony has a church directory and

this is the final announcement. I promise a sign up sheet. We want

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that put into place. And obviously you can still go to our website as

well and sign up there, but that's gonna be going around right now,

okay, And so please if you haven't filled that out and you're not afraid

to get spammed, please fill that out. So and I'm gonna continue,

believe it or not, my series Clash of the Kingdoms. For those of

you that were not here when I started this a few months ago, I

really felt impressed strongly from the Lord to prepare us from a spiritual warfare standpoint

for the coming days. It's not a big surprise that we're seeing tensions rising

and wars. And I mean you don't have to be a prophet to read

the scriptures and recognize that these shakings, these birth pains will continue to increase

as we get closer to his return. And that's you know again, that's

real, regardless of where you stand on an end time's viewpoint, pre trip,

you know, post pan. I think lots of people at this point

are probably pan. It's all just gonna pan out when he comes. So

and yes, that was another dad joke. I have a quota every Sunday

to make you cringe at least like three dad jokes. So I am totally

on track, people. But you know, the the issue of peace,

we don't always view peace as a weapon. You know. When it says

that our weapons of righteousness are in our right hand and in our left,

it says that our weapons are not what carnal. Our weapons aren't fleshly,

So the moment we step into a place of our flesh and begin to want

to win this war from a fleshy standpoint, we've already lost the battle.

We're gonna end up advancing evil when evil comes against rather than returning it with

good. See if you return evil with evil, evil advances, and you

can justify it because they ticked you off and they made you mad, and

you're going to vindicate your name and you're going to do these things to make

things right. And then you still fall into deception, into the enemy's hands,

and we end up doing exactly opposite of what the Lord wants. I

think probably one of the hardest things for us is to leave room for the

Lord to vindicate our name. When injustice comes into your life, the first

thing you want to do is see justice. And that scripture that says vengeance

is mine, says the Lord. We tend to misinterpret that and say,

see he said it was mine, No, it's his. And I think

a lot of times part of the problem is in the midst of us wanting

justice and wanting to vindicate our name, we are more worried about our pride

and our ego than we are, the advancement of the kingdom, and over

all the years of ministry. I just there's a scripture that keeps coming back

to me, and it says this, if you stand, take heed lest

you fall. So don't get arrogant, stay humble, stay hungry, stay

teachable, and stay in a place of wonder. You're going to get a

whole lot more revelation if you have childlike faith than you are when you become

a know it all. And I don't think the world is drawn to a

bunch of arrogant religious people that use God's word to beat the crap out of

everybody. I think that God, when he comes, it says that he

came as a servant. So if we have an issue with serving, we

have a serious issue. Because Jesus shows up on planet Earth, God in

the flesh, and he says, I didn't come to be served, but

to serve and offer my life a ransom, and he submitted himself to the

wrath of man so that he could redeem us. You know, we're not

in a position right now where we've in America, where we've we're seeing our

loved ones killed, like say in Israel right now, you all know that

they were literally the terrorists were literally driving through neighborhoods and just shooting people.

They plowed the fence down with a dozer and tons of people came in.

This was all on the cuffs of US giving six billion dollars t Iran to

release a few Americans and then unfreeze funds. So I mean, once again,

I don't think you've got to be a prophet to realize that probably wasn't

a good idea. It says men's hearts will fail them for fear. I'm

gonna say something. It's probably not gonna be very popular, but I think

the next largest shaking will make COVID look like a cakewalk. I hope that

doesn't happen. But what each of you are responsible for is your heart.

It's high time that we take full responsibility of our lives and our hearts,

and we don't blame other people for our stuff. We stop justifying our stuff

and blaming it on everything else, and we take full responsibility for our lives.

The victim spirit has ran rampant in the American culture and even in the

American church. As long as you're wrestling with a victim mindset, You'll never

see breakthrough, you'll never see freedom because it will always be somebody else's fault.

In fact, the enemy will even get you to take half the things

that were stolen from you and blame God for them. So then therefore the

debt of an individual is misplaced onto the Lord. And then you can't even

totally forgive. You're trapped because it's misplaced responsibility. So how do you take

an account of your heart? But in light of the reality of living in

turbulent times and living in times of shaking and birth pains getting closer. You

know, my wife gave us two amazing boys, and uh, you thought

y'all thought I was gonna say something. No, but I can tell you

that I didn't know my wife had the strength in her hand, her grip

until it was time to give birth. And I was holding her hand,

and the birth pains were getting closer, and her strength was increasing, almost

like Samson. And by the time Micah was ready to come, I wasn't

sure if I was going to have any ability to ever hold anything ever again.

And because what because it was it was it was time. And so

as we see an increase of birth pains and a decrease of time between those

birth pains. What does it say that means things are getting closer? Our

assignment does not change. I want to be left behind. For those of

you that hold that particular position, you'll understand what I'm saying. But because

we're here with an assignment, you have been given responsibility of the earth.

You have been given a great commission each of you. Each of you have

been given a great commission to make disciples. Now, not everybody's called to

the nations, I understand that. But you can disciple your own town.

You can disciple your neighborhood. You know, we sang about peace, we

sang about God being a warrior, and I am. In the past,

I've not done well with series because I always like to get at, you

know, have a fresh word every time I you know, I don't.

I haven't liked to do series. But the Lord's corrected me on that.

Because you can do you can have some insight for the future, and then

therefore prepare people prophetically with teachings for what's coming. And I'm not standing up

here like I think I have all these details. I don't, But I

think that something significantly changed three years ago. It's a new era. It's

a new era in the church, in church history, not just in the

natural. And it would it would behoove us to take inventory and say,

Lord, what time is it? What time is it in my life?

What do invent? What's in my life right now? That it may not

be bad, but do I need it right now? Because I need to

reprioritize things so that I can continue to be light and salt. The worst

thing in the world is to be on the battlefield and then you faint in

the day of battle. If you look throughout scripture on this issue of peace

and what peace does and how it protects you. And I'm not going to

say when David stood in front of Goliath that he didn't have any nerves.

I'm sure he did. But he had history with God, private history with

no one around, no social media, no reels, no shorts. He

was a true champion and he built history in the wilderness when no one was

around. And your private victories are the very foundation of what will give you

longevity in your walk with the Lord. You with me Ephesian six point fifteen,

it says, I'm gonna pray for my eyes to get strength. Finally,

be strong in the Lord and in strengthen His might. This is verse

ten. Sorry, put on the whole armor of God, that you may

be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not

wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,

against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil

and the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God,

that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. And having done

all to stand firm stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth, and

having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shoes for your feet,

having put on the readiness given by the Gospel of Peace. And it's the

Gospel of peace. It's knowing that you're actually number one, first and foremost

at peace with your creator that brings you peace. The moment you put your

faith in Jesus Christ and you were forgiven, you felt this peace come over

you because that hostility of your sin was removed. And then you've been given

the ministry of reconciliation, the honor and the opportunity to actually be able to

say hey to a world that is in chaos right now. Listen for those

that don't know the Lord, those that have no clue about to have a

real paper copy Bible. I can hold this up instead of my iPad.

Those that haven't read the end, they're losing their minds right now. All

do y'all realize the the increase of anxiety and depression right now, the statistics

of these things that are just ramping and ramping and ramping up. This piece

is what allowed Jesus to literally be sound asleep in a boat. You know,

we hear about that all the time. But think for a moment if

you were in that boat with the disciples and there's this storm that literally has

professional fishermen scared to death, and there's Jesus sound asleep in the bottom of

the boat, and he and he gets up and he's like, what's ch'all's

problems? I told you we're going to the other side. He said,

let's go to the other side. He already told them that storm was not

from the Father because Jesus rebuked it. If it would have been from God,

then you have a serious problem. Because Jesus just rebuked his father's work.

So that means not every storm that comes into your life is from God.

That means that not every time you get sick, he's trying to teach

you something. With that. You're in a battlefield, right, But you've

been dressed with a new pair of shoes. Now, women, if it's

you love shoes like my wife, I My wife loves shoes. I mean

she had a footwear business. And there's I just see the joy that comes

across her her face when she gets a new pair of shoes. And yes,

I mean, men don't tend to get as excited, although I I

like footwear a little bit, you know, but we don't. I'd literally

fight for this little corner in my closet of clothes and and and yeah,

it's it's it's men, come on, you feel me. It's tough.

I'm like, we need to do a two thousand square foot edition out of

the home for a walking closet. All right, y'all are awake? Okay.

Philippians four six and seven. Do not be anxious about anything, but

in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be

made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding

will guard your hearts and your minds. In Christ Jesus, guess what,

Maybe you're not in peace in this moment because you refuse to give up your

rights understand how you can be peace in the midst of these circumstances. But

His peace passes understanding. So if you try to abide and rest in His

peace via your soulish understanding, your logical mind, the natural mind is actually

hostile to God. So if you get into the flesh and you demand that

you understand how this peace can rule and rain, you're not gonna get it.

It says, let the peace of Christ rule and rain. It means

you have a choice in the moment of adversity, in the moment of chaos.

You can let peace be your weapon. You can let that peace guard

your mind and your heart. You can stay at peace. You don't have

to give up your peace. And I might say that a sign of spiritual

maturity would be what does it take for you to lose your peace? Do

you lose it at a red light? You might lose it at a red

light next weekend when there's two hundred thousand extra people here for the solar he

eclipse. Do you lose your peace when you're watching the news. I call

that the shoe annoy thing. I feel like throwing a shoe at it.

Right one Peter five seven. Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares

for you. Proverb says that anxiety leads to depression. You know what you

had before depression hits you? Anxiety? And it says, who of you,

by being anxious can have a single hour to your life? Has anybody

grown younger by worrying about stuff? And yet we just keep going back for

more. It's like, well, maybe this time I can carry this,

and I can fix this, and I can make this happen. Y'all,

you understand controls a myth right, and most of what you have anxiety over

is because you're imagining, through vain imagination, a future that Jesus is not

in. And then all of a sudden, you start living in a projected

future, motivated promoted by fear. Jesus has no place in there, nothing

to say, and you're stuck in vain imagination and all you do is cultivate

anxiety, and ultimately your physical body responds to your soul and you become depressed

because your adrenal system cannot handle that type of taxation day in and day out.

Hence the Sabbath is a gift. John sixteen thirty three says, I

have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In

the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I've overcome the world.

So if Christ in you is the hope of glory, and he's overcome

the world, then no matter what comes your way, if you choose to

trust him, you can stay an overcomer. When he said it's finished,

he wasn't pretending you brought me coffee. Ah, I thought you got a

word of knowledge. Okay, that's not scripture. Sorry, it's not saying

our bucks. I just give you a second for it to land second Thessalonians

three sixteen. Now may the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all

times in every way. The Lord be with you all, not some,

but all. The pictograph meaning for the word shalom paints a picture of literally

removing the chaos and the anarchy that causes anxiety. If you look at the

pictures of the word shalom, you know the word pictures attached to the letters.

It paints this beautiful picture of removing the chaos and the anarchy that causes

anxiety, and so the result is tranquility. You know, when they say

shalom to each other, I know shalom is blessing his peace. It's prosperity,

you know, shalom shalom. And but when you look at the pictograph

meaning of that, so you see a spiritual warfare side of the word peace,

because it's actively it's a verb. It's removing chaos. Jesus said,

speak peace to a home, and if a sun of light is there,

then your peace will remain on that home. But if it's not, your

peace will leave with you. So instead of saying, well, I don't

have the authority over here, Jesus just said, greet the home with peace,

and the peace you carry, which comes from me will permeate that place

of residence that you're staying. And if they're worthy, if they belong to

me, that peace will stay. It'll just increase, there'll be more peace.

But if not, when you leave, your peace will leave with you.

Hello, people, how's that for evangelism? You show up into somebody's

home, all the chaos and anxiety leaves the home, and all of a

sudden, they feel the peace of God that passes their understanding. And then

you leave and your peace goes with you, and they go, what what

man? What is it about them? When they're around, I just feel

peace, And when they're gone, I like it changes. I'm not as

peaceful. I think presence evangelism is the best. It's show and tell.

We live a life permeated by the spirit of God that cannot be counterfeited by

any new ager, any Buddha, any faith healer. By the way,

you understand how faith healers work right. They don't drive demons out, they

don't drive infirmity out. That spirit of infirmity moves to a different organ It

looks like they got healed, and then years later they die of something else

because it's shifted. Because a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, so it

simply moves and gives a mirage of healing. But Jesus heals. Jesus's peace

destroys chaos, anarchy. It takes storm that the enemy tries to throw at

you to bring destruction and dissolves them instantly. This is one of my favorite

scriptures. Isaiah twenty six y three. You keep him in perfect peace,

whose mind has stayed on you because he trusts in you. Jesus said in

John fourteen twenty seven peace I leave with you my peace. I give to

you, not as the world gives. Do I give to you. Let

not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. It says like,

don't fear three hundred and sixty five times, roughly, do not fear,

Do not fear, do not fear. Do you think if the Lord

has chosen to take that type of time throughout the scriptures to tell us not

to fear, that fear would be an issue? Right? It says they

didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a

sound mind. And now we're encroaching on days that have the potential to literally

take people out because of fear, wars, rumors of wars, these all

of these birth pains that have been happening for two thousand are for you know,

twenty and twenty three years now are increasing. You know, we didn't

have technology to follow earthquakes, so we wouldn't know how earthquakes would be in

diverse places. And now you have an app that you can put on your

phone and every time an earthquake happens, you get notified of the earthquake.

I would not recommend having that app if you're working on peace Colossians three fifteen.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Let it.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you're recalled

in one body, and be thankful. Can can we start calling fear something?

Are you with me? It's called sin. We need to repent from

fear. When we're dealing with fear, we need to repent from it.

It is sin. And I don't care if that it's popular. But we

have a tendency to water everything down because of a victim mindset. And again,

if we think in earthly terms, are gonna get earthly results. But

all through here he says, don't fear, don't fear, don't fear.

If we step into fear, we just were disobedient. If you stay in

fear, you open to a spirit of fear. I tell people all the

time, the easiest way to tell if you're dealing with you, your soul

or a spirit is the magnification of that emotion. When you are overwhelmed by

a feeling and you can't get rid of it. You're no longer just dealing

with you. You're dealing with oppression spiritual influence that you begin to partner with

through deception. But guess what, if you're at peace and you're letting the

peace of Christ rule and reign over all circumstances, and you're in a place

of giving thanks in all circumstances, peace and thanksgiving will guard your mind and

your heart and will give you emotional spiritual health. It's going to be really

difficult to be depressed when you're so thankful. So when you start feeling I

have, I literally, I like the last two weeks, I have been

really weary and tired and like ready to go to Hawaii on vacation or something,

and are the mountains with no internet. And but when when you get

into that place, what is your weapon? I told Lisa the last couple

of mornings, I've woken up fling down and tired, and I was and

I had to intentionally go into a place of thanksgiving, of thankfulness. I've

gotten the word. I meditated and began to give thanks. And guess what

that began to break and lift the joy of the Lord is your strength,

The joy of the Lord is your strength. So if you're not cultivating intimacy

with him, how are you going to increase in this issue of joy with

him? If he's actually not your delight? Again, y'all, this is

this. This has to do with the renewed mind. This has to do

with us thinking with the mind of Christ and what it really means to walk

in spirit and truth. And I know I need an upgrade. I know

that there are moments that I look more like the old justin than the than

the revised you know, two point zero. Please don't say anything, honey,

h Psalm for eight in peace. I will both lie down and sleep

for you alone, Oh Lord, make me dwell in safety. If you're

having issues sleeping, there's Psalm for eight in peace. I will both lie

down and sleep. Anybody suffer from insomnia, Yeah, keep your hands up

real quick, Okay, So Father, right now, you see these hands,

and I just break the assignment of insomnia and the name of Jesus,

and I command insomnia to leave. Anxiety and insomnia cannot stay. I speak

peace over your minds and your hearts, and I declare Psalms for eight over

you in peace. You will lie down and sleep for you alone, Oh

Lord, Make them dwell in safety in Jesus' name. Hebrews twelve fourteen.

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will

see the Lord. And for the holiness without which no one will see the

Lord. Now, this is one of my favorite scriptures Isaiah thirty two seventeen.

And the effect of righteousness, the effect of righteousness will be peace,

and the result of righteousness quietness and trust forever. So what is that saying.

That's saying that when you seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, the

effects of that righteousness is peace. The result of that right righteousness, not

righteous righteousness, is quietness and trust. So trust in Him is not found

outside of righteousness. Remember, Abraham believed God, and it was what accredited

to him for righteousness. See that scripture. See how that plays out with

Abraham, the Father of faith. It was inside of righteousness. It's us

choosing to pursue righteousness, and we became righteous, and we're walking out this

faith in righteousness Romans eight six. For to set the mind on the flesh

is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life in peace.

I heard Bill Johnson say this. One time he was talking about the

issue of peace, and he said, he's learned a discipline. I just

say, when I say that name of that offends you, don't believe everything

you read online. I'll leave it at that. But he was teaching on

this issue of peace, and he said when he gets anxious, when he

starts getting full of anxiousness, he goes, wait a minute, where did

I set my peace down? And he'll ask the lord, Lord, when

did I let go of peace? And he'll go right back to that moment,

whether it was an hour ago, ten minutes ago, a day ago,

a month ago, whatever. You know, highly doubt he goes that

long. But if you're not in peace right now, say Lord, when

did I stop trusting you? When did I stop letting your peace guard me?

And literally go back to that moment with him, say Lord, forgive

me for letting for not allowing your peace to rule and reign? And I

just take it back up. You got this. You're the author and finisher.

Somebody sounds really excited in the nursery. I'm landing the plane, folks,

I'm landing the plane. Romans twelve eighteen. If possible, so far

as it depends on you live peaceably with all. Isn't that fun? Isaiah

fifty three five. But he was pierced for our trans He was crushed for

our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. Do you

think your ability to be in the peace of Christ came at a price?

He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was

the chastisement that brought us peace. He who knew no sin became sin that

we could become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. It's that righteousness that

results in peace and quietness. All right, Last couple of points Matthew five

nine. Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called sons of

God. Did you know there's a difference between being a peace maker and a

peacekeeper. A peacekeeper many times will just remain quiet because they don't want to

deal with conflict. It appears to be good, but the truth is they

have fear, They have fear of man, they have false responsibility, and

they just don't say anything. A peace maker understands that in order for peace

to come brave communication conflict will have to come and it needs to be done

in love. But peace maker is a verb. It's active. It is

taking responsibility, saying, hey, something's not right here, did you know?

Unfortunately, most of the times that I've dealt with stuff in a church

setting with people with conflict, most of the time over the years, I've

had to ultimately go to them because I found out through somebody else that they

were hurt and I didn't know what I did, and then they never came,

so there was no Matthew eighteen. And then when I responded to them

in those few times, guess what, it was a complete misunderstanding. It

was you know, three years ago when I was running around here crazy because

we didn't have all the spots filled and I wasn't able to talk to somebody

for very long that morning, and they got hurt or offended. Then I

said I didn't care. I'm like, no, I do care. I

just can't you know, it's like time to start the service. And so

there's misunderstandings. But in that moment, I could just be like, oh,

well, whatever, they didn't follow Matthew eighteen. They can get over

it and leave. Well that's not love. But if you're a peacekeeper,

You're gonna find a way to not address that and just let it go.

One of the things the Lord hates is those that so discord among the brethren

and gossip can come in the form of intercession. Romans fifteen thirteen. May

the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so

that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans

fifteen thirteen. May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace

and believing, so that by the so that by the power of the Holy

Spirit, you may abound in hope. Remember it says an accent, there's

love, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. We should be we should

look totally ridiculous to the world, y'all, like we should have so much

love, so much joy, so much peace that they're like, what are

they taking? Like this has got to be some new drug that's going around

Kerrville because all these people are so happy, Like, are you high?

What is it? There ain't no high like the most high? No,

what do you say, no hangovers? That's true. You can have the

joy of the Lord and not feel horrible the next day. Right, So

I want to encourage you. Sorry, I'm trying to figure out what somebody

has outside of our driveway. Don't pay attention. I just totally distracted everyone.

It's all over. So look at your shoes. Look at your shoes.

I want to challenge you this week, every time you put your shoes

on, regardless of the brand or the fashion or how old they are,

every time you put your shoes on this week, be reminded of the Gospel

of Peace. Be reminded of the fact that you are a peace maker.

Be reminded of the fact that you've been given the ministry of reconciliation. So

who's in your life right now that needs to be reconciled to God? Because

guess what, Reconciling to God is number one over the process of reconciliation.

If you are a believer and you're trying to reconcile with somebody who is not,

it could be pretty difficult, but it'd be a whole lot easier if

they get reconciled to God. And now you actually have Jesus at the center

of that reconciliation. You know, he's the plumb line when we get into

conflict with each other. He is our plumbline. He is the truth,

right and it literally removes all of our stuff when we look to him for

true unity and oneness. John seventeen. Doesn't mean that we all agree on

every single thing. How boring would that be if we all agreed with each

other on everything. That doesn't mean we get to fight, y'all. I

just want to say that we are We're in a time and a season right

now that I believe wholeheartedly that peace is going to be one of the most

important weapons that we have. And it's that piece of Christ that passes understanding

that is actually gonna make us stand out. It is that peace that is

a light to the world that is lost, that doesn't know where they're going,

but that is scared to death of the future. With plagues and wars

and turbulent times, economic uh downfalls, all of these different spheres of culture.

People are literally scared to death right now. They're scared to death of

the American dollar. What it's gonna what's gonna happen to it? How are

we going to move forward? I mean, there is just there's there's fear

all over the place, and this is the time that we're called to arise

and shine. This. This is the time where we where we hold out

that peace and we say, hey, I can't tell you everything that's going

to happen in the future, but I can tell you this. You can

have peace in the midst of the storm. You can have peace in the

midst of these trials and tribulations. You can have peace in the midst of

uncertainty. You don't have to go visit a future without God in it.

You can stay present and know that He has it. Let's stand and if

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