From Ephesus: Peace

Congrats to our scholarship winners and their families. I think

both of them are here. Why don't you both stand up?

I see Sophie in the front. I think Nate's right

over there. Congratulations. I was commenting to my daughter as

the list of graduates popped up on the screen. It's

amazing the number of college masters, doctoral graduates that we

have in the church.

People are smart.

I want to just reiterate what Pastor Johnny said when

he talked about our internship. There is a move of

God that is happening around America. Did you know that

this is the first time in the last I think

it's fifteen years that there is a recorded increase in

church attendance around America. I mean, there's a move of God.

It's happening around America. But along with it is the

biggest crisis that we've ever had in the church. And

a lot of our pastors are baby boomers, and they

have reached the age of retirement, and there is not

enough pastors to fill pulpits as they retire, and that

is a big crisis. And so one of the things

I want to challenge you with. There's many of you

you've felt the call to ministry. You've wondered if maybe

God has ministry is a next career for you. Maybe

you're young and you feel a call to ministry. And

the problem is, whenever anybody wants to meet with me

and talk to me about ministry, I always tell you

the same thing.

They say, Hey, I think.

I'm supposed to be a pastor, and I tell them, well,

then buckle up and go to school. People never want

to hear that. What they want to hear is okay,

can you start tomorrow. The problem is that this is

a profession that takes a fair amount of education, and

people would say, well, Pastor Brannon, I mean, how ede educated?

Or you I've gone all the way in school. And

so that is very important, and this is one of

the methods with which you get educated, and it's geared.

If you want to do it full time, you're around

the eighteen to twenty two age and you're ready to

do school full time, it's gared for you to do that.

But it's also a professional program. If you maybe are

in your career but want to transition careers, but you

need to get educated in our profession, it's also geared

for you to do that. So I want to encourage

you to prayerfully consider that. Honestly, it's a good career opportunity.

At this point.

It's a terrible job if you're not called, but it's

an awesome job if you are. I get the great

privilege of continuing our Fruit of the Spirit series. Want

you to grab your Bibles and want you to turn

to Galatians chapter five. I'm gonna start reading from verse thirteen.

This is the portion of scripture that this entire series

has been built on.

Paul said this.

We are calling this from Ephesis because Paul wrote the

letter to the church in Galatia, wrote Galatians while he

was in Ephesus, says you, my brothers and sisters were.

Called to be free.

Who is Paul referring to when he says brothers and sisters.

If you're a girl, you're a sister. If you're a guy,

you're a brother. So who is he writing this letter

to all of you? And he says all of you

are called to be free, but do not use your

freedom to indulge the flesh. Last week, we had two

different guest speakers that talked about self control, and Marty

Solomon went and explained if you dive down into the

original language what the word flesh means, it actually means

animal appetite. That that is what we struggle with when

we are not led by the spirit, we are inclined

to indulge our animal appetite.

And this is what Paul is saying.

He's saying, don't use your freedom to indulge your animal appetite.

Rather serve one another humbly in love.

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command.

You don't want to hear this.

Because this is the command that Paul says. This pretty

much is the one that matters. Love your neighbor as yourself.

We don't like that one. We want to love our

neighbor as long as we like our neighbor. Jesus is

not concerned whether you love that you whether you like

your neighbor or not. He's saying, you love your neighbor

as yourself. In other words, you love people that vote

differently than you. You love people that are on the

opposite side of a protest line than you. You love

your neighbor as yourself. If you bite and devour each other,

watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other.

If you're looking for a fight, you'll find one.

If you are evaluating.

Should I post this snarky comment on Facebook, how are

people going to respond?

If you want to.

Fight, you'll get one.

I always say, social.

Media, for the first time in history, has given crazy

people a platform, because in the past, crazy people had none.

So they would stand on the street and shout, and

you'd walk by and think, dude is crazy, and you'd

walk on the other side of the street. So crazy

people got no audience. But for whatever reason, on social media,

you can say the craziest thing and other crazy people

find you and cheer you on. If you're looking for

a fight, you'll find one, and you'll eventually destroy each other.

So the words of Paul not Brandon.

He goes on and he says, so I say, walk

by the spirit, and you will not gratify the.

Desires of the flesh. Walk by the spirit, and.

You don't gratify your animal desires, your animal appetite for

the flesh desires.

What is contrary to the spirit.

You realize that your animal appetite wants the opposite of

what a spirit filled life is. And then he said,

the spirit, what is contrary to the flesh. They're in

conflict with each other, so you are not to do

whatever you want.

I love the fact that all.

I'm doing is reading scripture, because you can't sit there

mad at me that I'm stating my opinion. I'm just

telling you what the Bible says. The Bible says, it's

not true that whatever you do behind closed doors is

okay for you. The Bible says, you don't get the

opportunity to do whatever you want. You don't get to

indulge your animal appetite. You are supposed to live by

the spirit.

The Bible is so not politically correct.

And then Paul goes on and he says, the acts

of the flesh are obvious, so the animal appetites are obvious.

He rattles them off, says, here they are sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy,

fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies,

and the like. I warn you, as I did before,

that those who live like these, Paul says, if you

live according to your animal appetite, you will not inherit.

The kingdom of God might drop, Paul. I could literally

walk off right now. You'd be irritated with me, only

because you can't be irritated with Paul, because he's not

here for you to be irritated at. And then he

goes on and he says, but the fruit of the spirit,

the opposite of your animal appetite, is the fruit of

the spirit evident in your life.

And he said, this is what they are.

Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Against such things, there is no law. Those who belong

to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh.

If you belong to Jesus.

You have crucified your animal appetite with its passions and desires.

Since you live by the spirit, let us keep in step.

With the spirit. Paul, by your heads, close your eyes.

Repeat after me, Everyone say, dear Jesus, speak to my heart,

change my life in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Paul is addressing how you and I live a spirit

filled life. What does our life look like that makes

it evident that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us?

What does our life look like that makes it evident

that Brandon is a follower of Jesus. We've been teaching

on this each and every week. They're the fruit of

the spirit. You should have evidence of the fruit of

the spirit in your life.

Whenever you hear one.

Of these messages, you should be evaluating you, not your husband.

You should be evaluating you. How are you doing? In fact?

Every week evaluate yourself on a one to five one

being I am not like Jesus, five being I exemplify Jesus.

Where are you? Each one?

Well?

The first week did taught us on joy?

Does your life reflect the character trait of joy that

the world can be falling apart around you, but you

have perspective beyond your circumstances. You have joy even when

it doesn't make sense.

How did you rate?

The following week, Pastor Morgan talked about love. How did

you rate on love? Do you love people you don't like?

Do you love people that irritate you, frustrate you make

you mad?

Do you irritate? Do you love people.

That have the opposite opinion on just about every topic

that you have? Do you love people that have different

values than you?

Do you love? How do you rate? One to five?

Last week, Marty saw him and Brett Allen did a

phenomenal job teaching on self control.

I gotta be honest, I don't score high on that one.

I am very impulsive. But how do you rate on

self control when all of these options and temptations come,

are you able to pause and have self control?

How do you rate one to five?

These are spiritual qualities that the Holy Spirit.

Should be.

Producing in us that make us more like Christ.

Did you know that the longer that you follow.

Jesus, the more like him you should become. I tell

you all the time that this is a journey, This

is a faith journey. So of course you are not

a finished product. Of course you haven't arrived. You don't think, well,

I'm a five in every fruit of the spirit. If

you grade yourself as a five on every fruit of

the spirit.

You need to be a tougher grader.

Because you will spend your entire spiritual life pursuing being

like Christ, and you will never quite get there.

You will never arrive.

You will live this whole entire spiritual journey, never quite

being where you would like to be. But I always

say this, how do you feel better about where you're at?

I'm not where I want to be, but at least

I'm not where I used to be. What you need

to be able to do is look at yourself today

and feel like I have progressed from where I was

last year. When I think of June first, twenty twenty four,

I don't even recognize myself anymore. Now. I am not

where I want to be June first of twenty six,

But at least I'm not where I was before. Hopefully

there's even parts of your life you can say I

have progressed from where I was last month, and I'm

better than I was the week before. This is a journey.

As I grow in my faith, these character qualities are

more and more evident in my life. As I grow

closer to Jesus, I should have the character quality fruit

of joy more evident in my life.

As I grow.

Closer to Jesus, the fruit of love should be more

evident in my life. As I grow in my walk

with Jesus, I should have more and more self control.

Paul then says, well, not only should you have those qualities,

but you should also have peace. Peace means wholeness, Soundness

in life means I have well being in my body, soul, mind,

health and relationships. Peace is not the absence of conflict.

You're gonna have conflict. You work with people who have

different opinions and different personalities than you. Conflict is inevitable.

But in the middle of conflict, you personally have harmony.

Do you have serenity? Do you have tranquility in all

aspects of your life? The word piece is used repeatedly

in scripture in the Old Testament in Hebrew. That word

peace is a word that you've heard many times. It's

shalom shallom. You kind of say shalom, and it's peaceful.

Try it shallom, Try it again. I mean, doesn't it

make you feel zen just saying shalom? Jewish people for

generations greet each other and leave each other by saying shalom.

It's basically them speaking prophetically and praying a prayer over them.

They're they're praying. I hope you live a life of peace.

I hope you have tranquility. I hope you have serenity

in life. I hope you have a life where you're

you have wholeness and fullness and body, soul, mind, in spirit.

Shalom. But Paul.

In Galatians was written in Greek. So what is the

Greek word for peace. It's arini, kind of say it

off your tongue, It floats, ARENI try it pretty, try

it again. They both mean exactly the same thing. They

mean soundness and wholeness in life. They mean the same thing.

Here's what I know. In twenty twenty five, people are.

Desperate for peace. Their minds are at war. They're anxious,

stressed out, depressed, at war. In fact, people are more

anxious today than they were five years ago.

We're not getting better.

People are more stressed out today than they were five

years ago. They're more depressed today than they were ten

years ago.

And it comes from.

This idea that we have told you that you find

peace within yourself, that you got to find.

Peace in you.

And so we spend our life with all this stress,

anxiety and depression trying to find and tap into that

peace inside of us. So we try everything. We try yoga. Now,

I love yoga. I do hot yoga three or four

times a week, but I don't do hot yoga to

find peace. And then inside of me, I do hot

yoga because I'm fifty and I want to be able

to move when I'm sixty. People try meditation, they try therapy.

By the way, I'm not against therapy, but if you

were doing therapy as the soul means for you to

find peace within yourself, all you will eventually find is

peace that is subjective. In other words, you will only

find peace that is determined by how you think and

feel and your opinion in that moment.

And if you only have peace.

That is subjective, it means it comes and it goes,

It waxes and it wanes, it.

Ebbs and it flows.

People try to find peace in themselves by medicating themselves.

I have a buddy who told me everyone in my

family brand and they are stressed out, anxious and depressed.

And when I open up the medicine cabinet, it looks

like a pharmacy. The problem is you can medicate yourself

and it'll work for a moment until it wears off,

and then the reality of your life comes back in

and you find out really quickly that you do not

find peace in yourself.

So people try drugs.

People think I get peace because I drink a glass

of wine at the end of the day and it

mellows me out. Problem is, you wake up the next

morning as stressed as you were. The night before. Because

you don't find peace in you. That is only subjective piece.

Church.

There's a huge difference between subjective peace and objective peace.

Allow me to explain.

Subjective peace is based on your personal opinion. It's based

on your feelings, It's based on your interpretation of your

circumstance and situation. But objective piece is based on facts,

it is verifiable. Subjective piece is peace that you strive

to find in yourself. But real, actual piece, that is

the type of peace that Paul is talking about with

the fruit of the spirit, is peace that you can't

find in yourself. It is only peace that comes from

outside of you.

That is the real piece.

True piece only comes from outside of us. Now I'm

the one that's speaking, or six whatever, seven hundred of

you here to like watching here online all this to

hear me talk. So my understanding and my belief system.

By the way, I'm dogmatic about this one. You ain't

changing my mind in the lobby when you want to say, well, pbe,

do you think maybe it's ninety percent what you said?

No, I'm right and here it is.

I believe there is no genuine, real peace apart from

a relationship with Jesus. I don't care how rich you are.

I don't care how famous you are, I don't care

how successful you are. If you do not have Jesus

in your life, you only have subjective peace that will

come and go. It will be fleeting. It is not

real peace. Real peace only comes from Jesus. The Psalmists

said this, and psal I'm fifty one pint five, he said,

surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from.

The time my mother conceived me. What does that mean?

It means when you were born, you were born into sin.

You were born into a sinful nature. In other words,

when you were born, you were born into a life

without peace. Now we're having a full on baby boom adventure.

If you wonder.

Why the kid's pastor at this church matters. Three weeks ago,

we dedicated over twenty kids.

Since then, numerous more bursts in the church.

Last week, I met a new baby and the parents

were here last week, and I held the baby and

I looked at the dad, who's a really good buddy

of mine, and he is one of those guys that's

full on living the American dream.

And he has like so much money. He doesn't know

what to do with it right?

And I asked him, I said, so, how has this

changed your life? And he says, it's changed everything. This

is the guy that on a whim will go fly anywhere.

He'll do anything. He's up for anything.

Now. I'll call him during the week and say, hey,

you want to go.

Hang out tonight And he says, the baby has a sniffle,

I'm staying home. I that child changes everything. If you're

a parent, you know what I'm saying. People tell you, parents,

try to tell you you will never be able to

love anything more than when you hold that baby the

first time. You're just like, I did not know my

capacity to love was this great. If you truly love

your child from the moment they're born, as a follower

of Jesus, you're on a mission that they have peace someday,

and the only way that they find peace is through Jesus.

So as soon as you can.

Get in the nursery, you get him in the nursery.

As soon as you can get them in kids church,

they're in kids church. Soon as you can start praying

for them, reading the Bible with them, telling them about Jesus,

you start doing that because you know that if you

truly love them, the only way that they'll have peace

is through a relationship with Jesus. And you do all

of that hoping that someday this child that I'm holding

in my arms that I did not know I could love.

Possibly as much as I do.

The only way that they are going to experience real, genuine,

authentic peace in this life is through.

A relationship with Jesus.

So I hope someday my kids will be in a

position to surrender their life to Jesus.

Paul said this.

He said, therefore, since we have been justified through faith,

we have peace with God through Jesus. You have to

be able to look at yourself and say good with Jesus.

Like the world is falling apart around me. I don't

understand my finances, I got a bad report.

From the doctor.

I don't understand what's happening in my marriage relationship.

I don't understand any of this.

But I'm able to look myself in the mirror and

know it is well with my soul. Real peace comes

from knowing you are in peace with God, that you

are in a right relationship with Jesus. Peace comes from Jesus.

Peace is knowing God is not mad at me. God

is not frustrated with me. I am not at odds

with God. Peace comes from knowing it is well with

my soul. I'm at peace with God. Jesus said this,

and John fourteen twenty seven, the word will pop up

there the verse there is.

Jesus said, peace, I leave with you my peace I

give to you. Who is the you?

You?

Jesus is trying to give you his peace. And then

he goes on and he says, I don't give you

what the world gives you. You know what the world

gives you trouble, stress, anxiety, depression. Because I don't give

you what the world gives you. I give you real,

objective and subjective peace. And he says, so, don't let

your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid.

Church. The world has no real peace to offer you.

It's only subjective.

You cannot find peace in yourself. It'll only be subjective peace.

True peace comes from Jesus. In Isaiah Isaiah fifty seven,

the prophet Isaiah says this.

He says peace peace to those far.

And near, says the Lord, and I will heal them.

But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest,

whose waves cast up mire and mud. There is no peace,

says God for the wicked. Jesus promises peace. Without Jesus,

there is no peace.

At best.

You'll have subjective peace that is like a wave tossed

back and forth, totally circumstantial. Is in peace from God,

is through a relationship with Jesus. And it is not

just subjective, but it's also objective peace.

And here's the best part. Once you have peace with.

God through Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes into your life

and dwells inside of you and begins to till the

soil in your life, and fruit begins to grow. And

that fruit that is produced is joy. You have a

life full of joy. And as that fruit begins to grow,

you begin to harvest the fruit of love. You love

unlovable people. You love people. Now that before Jesus, you

don't vote the way I vote talk to the hand.

But Jesus has transformed me. I love people I disagree with.

I love people I don't like. I love people that

frustrate the crud out of me. I love by the way,

I'm not saying me, I'm saying you like. I gotta

work on this. I wouldn't agree, but I love people

that try to take advantage of me.

I love phone solicitors.

Literally, during worship, standing right there, I got a phone call.

I'm like, who is this? It's got to be urgent.

I run out as a phone solicitor. It's like, I'm

a church plank.

I love you. Though.

Holy spirit begins to develop fruit, and that fruit produces

self control. The Holy Spirit begins to produce fruit, and

that fruit.

Produces peace. We live in a broken world.

We don't always feel peace subjectively. We live in a

sinful world. People sin against us, We sin against people,

and oftentimes what happens is our sin leads us to

feel very distant and separated from God. It's hard to

subjectively enjoy peace if you find yourself constantly stumbling in sin.

And remember this, the enemy satan. He hates peace. He

does not want you to feel peace. He doesn't want

you to experience real peace. The enemy wants you to

believe lies. He wants you to doubt Christ's love. He

wants to make you think that your sin, that you

continually stumble into, that it's beyond forgiveness. Paul said this

and Colossians three. Again, the words will be behind me, he.

Said, Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

You see, what we have convinced you is the peace

that you find in yourself is peace of mind. We've

convinced you the peace of mind is the goal. But

that's subjective. You need peace in your heart, and it

begins with knowing you are good with Jesus. So it

Paul says, let the peace of Christ not just be

in your heart, not just hang out there, rule your heart.

And he goes on and he says, let the message

of Christ dwell among you richly. So he says, let

the peace of Christ rule over you, and let the

message of this freedom of having Christ.

And if peace rule over you, let that message dwell

richly in all of your life.

So it's not just in my head or my mind,

but it's peace in my heart. Comfort in your heart

because you have peace in your soul.

Romans eight six.

The mind governed by the flesh is death. The mind

governed by your animal appetites.

Is death. What's what I want to do?

What I'm doing is not hurting anyone else, it might not,

but it's killing you. The mind governed by the flesh

is death. But the mind governed by the Spirit, the

mind governed by the Holy Spirit, is life and peace.

It's harmony, tranquility, serenity. Without Jesus, we're governed by our

animal it appetites are animal instincts. But life in the

spirit is a life governed by the Holy Spirit, and it.

Leads to peace.

And the peace of Christ permeates our minds, and it

begins to relieve us of anger, of resenting, of hatred,

of the desire for revenge. David said this in Psalms

four eight. He said, some of you, this is the

peace you need. Said, in peace, I lie down and sleep.

Some of you, you have not had a peaceful night

sleep in years.

Your mind is at war. It begins you and Jesus

being right. This is peace.

I lie down and sleep for you alone, Lord, make

me dwell in safety. You see, the peace that the

Spirit brings is well rounded, holistic peace with God, from

God through Jesus. It is objective and subjective. I'm telling you, Church,

this peace is amazing.

It's wonderful.

It is a peace that is It's so hard to

describe and explain to someone.

Who doesn't have it.

That's why Paul said in Philippians four seven, he said,

the peace of God transcends all understanding. It'll guard your

hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Peace begins.

With Jesus.

Are you right with Jesus? I want to ask everyone

to buy your heads, close your eyes. You're here today

and you know you are not right with Jesus. That's

where real peace begins. If you're here today and you

want to say, Pastor Brandon, I need the real peace

that Jesus offers, and I know that that begins with

me surrendering my life to Jesus. For some of you,

this might be the very first time you've prayed it.

For others of you, if you were honest, you'd admit

you are far from God.

In this moment. But right now you want to.

Say, I need the peace of Jesus, the forgiveness of

Jesus to rule my life. If either one of those

is you, I'm going to count to three. When I

say three, I want you to raise your hand. Here

I go one, raise your hand up now, two and three.

All over this place. Awesome.

You can put your hands down. Would everyone do me

a favor? I want everyone in this place to stand up.

I'm going to invite everyone to pray this prayer with me,

but specifically those that you that raised your hand. Pray

this like you mean this, and you leave this place

knowing my sins are forgiven. I am beginning this journey

of faith with Jesus. It's everybody by your heads, close

your eyes. Repeat after me. Everyone say Dear Jesus. I

stand before you today. I admit I've messed up. But

today I ask you to forgive me. I invite you

to come into my life and to change me. I

choose from this day forward to serve you with my life.

Thank you for forgiving me and saving me in Jesus' name.

Amen? Amen?

Is anybody grateful for a God of peace? Man needed

that needed that?

Today?

As you go out today, I want to call your

attention to our What's Next page for our graduates to

stop by the hub. Please eat the donuts. I don't

want any leftovers. Uh, And you know, check out our

internship because that'd be sick. I worked really hard on

the web page, so check on that. Besides that, you

guys are officially dismissed. You guys are awesome. You three

Wednesday seven pm