Joy Under Pressure | Pushing Back Against The Pressure | Pastor Brodie Kalamen

Step out of the shadows, step out of the grave, break into the wild, and don't be afraid.

Run into eye open spaces, grace this, waiting for me.

Just like a way has been the dead.

Great sticks, waiting.

Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, there is freedom.

Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, there is freedom.

Come out of the dark, just just go up into the fullness of his love.

For the spirit of fear that every freedom, that every spring birth.

Come back to community Come back to the start.

Waiting for you.

Miracle work from escape.

Line in the darkness, my God, that is who you are here, touching every heart.

I worship you.

I worship you.

You are here, healing every heart.

I worship you, I worship you, you are here turning lies around.

I worship you, I worship you, you are here, mending every heart.

I worship you, I worship you, make the miracle work, I'm skipping, I can duck it, I got that is to you, the miracle work, all this keep, I didn't get that is to you, make the way, all the steps, I did the darkness, I got that is that is good, that is how you are when I don't feel it.

Even when I don't feel it, you work it never stop, you never stop, you never stop, you never stop working, even when I don't see it, you're working, even when I don't feel it, you're working, you never stop, you never stop working, you never stop, you never stop, even when I don't see it, you're working, even when I don't feel it, you're working, you never stop, you never stop working, you never stop, you never stop working, even when I don't see it, you're working, even when I don't feel it, you're working, you never stop, you never stop working, never stop, you work, I can't who you are is faithful, oh who you are is able who you are is stronger, who you are is Jesus, who you are is faithful, who you are is able, who you are stronger, who you are is Jesus, you in cold on the sleep, lying in the darkness, my God, that is who you are, you're in cool, lying in the darkness, my God, that is who you are.

Worthy of every soul that we could ever see.

Worthy of every praise we could ever be.

Worthy of every breath we could ever take.

We live for you, we live for you.

There is no one like you, there is none beside you, oh have my eyes in wonder and show me who you are and fill me with your Lord and read me in your love to those.

There is no inside you.

Open up my eyes in wondering who you are and fill me with your heart and leading in your love to go somewhere.

And I will build my life upon your foundation, and I will put my trust in you, and I will stay on the

Welcome to KCC.

You're joined us and you're having church at home, and we're just so grateful that everyone here can actually be able to meet together.

We may not be physically connected, but we're socially connected, and that's really important.

And we believe at this time we need each other more than ever.

And if you're connected with us in any way, you know that our heart is that we want you to be able to take those next steps in the journey of your faith.

And so each week it's so important that you're actually living your faith out.

For some of you, it might be knowing God.

You've never heard of God, don't know what this whole faith is about, but you're tuning in right now because you've got questions.

And we believe that God has answers.

So in this moment here where you're stepping in and you're wanting to know who God is, we believe that God wants to have a personal relationship with you.

And after you learn about God and you learn about what God has done, we believe He wants to take you from a place of knowing God to a place where you're finding freedom.

And finding freedom is such a liberating experience for us because in these times of pressure, especially, we want to be able to know that we've got a God who cares for our soul and allows us and lifts us up from places where perhaps where we were we didn't know where to go, but God's with you and He's with you, and He's helping us along the way.

And each of us has this particular purpose He created us for.

At this time in history, at this time in 2020, we believe that everyone's gifting is so important to be able to be used, to be able to help each other, and really that's what this season is really bringing out of people.

A way that we can use our gifts to go ahead and make a difference.

So this series right now is called Joy Under Pressure.

We say Joy Up.

It's we're using the acronym Under Pressure.

We say joy up so that we can encourage each other during difficult times to be able to get our eyes off the ground, lift our head up, and just say, Joy up.

Come on now, joy up.

We can make it through, and we all need that encouragement.

So what we're using is the book of Philippians as our template to help us learn how to joy up because it just doesn't come naturally.

We'd love it to come naturally, but the fact is that joy is oftentimes something that we have to find.

We have to find and discover it and look for it because it's not just present all the time, it's not based on our circumstance or happenstance or how the weather is outside or how your portfolio may look right now.

It's difficult.

But in those times, can you still have joy in difficult times?

Joy under pressure.

We need this message today more than ever.

So today, I want to talk to you about the big picture that I see.

And the big picture of this message is really that when it comes to pressure, it's easy to focus on the initial pressure.

It's easy to focus on it.

It's not hard to hear about the pressure that we're encountering today.

We're bombarded with news, we're bombarded with social media, we're bombarded with uh conversations and emails from everyone in every business that you've ever gone to and given your email to.

They're telling you about how they're dealing with a COVID-19.

And so they're telling you and reminding you and and continuing to create this narrative, this story about this pressure that is impacting the world.

And we know that the pressure is there, and it's easy to look at the pressure, but there's another part that we have to play, and that's when when you feel pressure, there's a point that we have to press up and push against the pressure.

And that's a whole different perspective, it takes a whole different stance, it takes a whole different positioning to stand against the pressure and push against it.

Really, there are three types of people in the world those who have pressure, experience it, feel it, and get crushed underneath it.

They acknowledge it, they may want to deny it, but they get crushed underneath it.

There's also the kind of pressure that when people feel it and experience it, they stand up against it.

And that's good.

But then there are others when they feel the pressure, they acknowledge the pressure, they're experiencing it, they're living in it.

They not only stand, but they press back against the pressure.

And what I want to do today is actually uh reinforce this position that we need to be living in where we're pushing back against the pressure.

We're not getting swallowed up by it, we're pushing against it.

It's a huge positioning situation.

It's a posture that we take.

And so when we press that way, we do it by using God's word.

When we encounter pressure, we recognize it, we confront it by using God's word, by using our conversations, by using our prayers, and even the weapon of thanksgiving.

It's a simple, simple step, but it's such an important step that we use to press up against pressure.

So Philippians, chapter four, this is our last chapter in this series, and it's it's one of it's just an incredibly appropriate chapter for us today.

So I'm going to take you through the start, and I just want to remind you that this is Paul talking about how to have joy under pressure from the position of a prison cell.

A prison cell, and he's writing to the church in Philippi, and he's using these words rejoice, have joy, give thanks.

And it's throughout the letter, he's continuing to remind the church about the posture that they should have under pressure.

And that's why this book is called a joy journal.

It's the main theme is to keep joy up under pressure.

So, verse one, Philippians chapter four, says this therefore, my brothers and my sisters, you who I love and I long for, my joy and my crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends.

And similar to me, this morning, I'm I'm preaching to you, and Paul is talking to the church, and he's calling them very uh uh very uh very delicate names.

He's calling them my brother, my sister.

He's calling them uh those who I long for and I love, those who I stand with.

And when I look at this, I start to feel that that connection that he had with the church of that day.

And I know that we're called right now to create social distancing.

That's kind of like the word that we've got to have, create social distancing.

And and I know some of you have been at home practicing this really, really, you know, uh habitually, and you're wanting to make a difference, and that's really good.

But I know that there are some of you who are going, oh, for the days that I could long for, I long to be able to sit over a cup of coffee with you.

I long to be able to go out for dinner, to walk the park with my friends and spend time with other people.

This social distance, and I bet you're feeling right now in your home what Paul was feeling a bit while he was in prison.

He was feeling that little bit of pressure.

He's like, Oh, how I long for you.

I look forward to being with you.

You see, people belong, people are so important.

We believe we believe people belong.

Jesus matters, but people belong.

People are a big part of our of our life.

And church is not a place that you just come to and you attend, but it is a KCC fam.

It is a family, it is a community, and uh other a lot of our life and believers as believers are lived in this space of community, yeah.

And there's joy found with being with each other, and it amazes me.

A short moment of time, like literally, the government said, it's gonna be a week, okay?

14 days, and we're just like squirming.

I just want to be with my people.

Well, Paul's saying, I just want to be with the church.

That's why we don't want to miss a week without connecting with you.

We want to be with you, okay, be a part of that church.

So when it comes to the church, we're looking for the kind of relationships that the apostle Paul had with the church of Philippi, that closeness.

Now, church isn't perfect.

These people aren't perfect.

We're an imperfect church.

And in verse two and three, it's really interesting because Paul begins to talk about some of the relationship dynamics that are happening in the church.

And he it's important for us to realize this because of what happens next.

But he starts addressing the dynamics that people are dealing with, the differences of opinion, the differences in perspective.

And everyone, even when it comes to this issue that we're facing today, there's so many people with different views on how to approach this.

Should the church remain open?

Should the church close?

Should people rally against the government?

Should we go into quarantine?

And we really just have to stop and say, you know, what really matters is that we we're in unity and we're just believing and together for God to do something extraordinary and make it quick help us to quickly move past this chapter so that we can move into uh the next part of what God has planned for us and allow the church's light to shine in this time.

Allow us to be a flavor to the world during this moment.

It's gonna be so exciting.

But he's dealing with issues of tension, he's dealing with issues of people who are who are in tension, and and I'm realizing that it's not just about observing, but it's about practicing, it's about serving.

And he's saying, You're doing great, but just work together.

Work together, and I think that's what the world is doing right now, is the world's saying, listen, we don't need to work together.

We have some friends who are actually on their way right now to Italy to actually serve and help as as paramedics.

The world has called for help, and people from here, from Kelowna, are on their way to help.

But Paul says this listen, you have this tension, and we move into verse four.

He says, This is what I want you to do in the middle of the tension, rejoice.

Rejoice in the Lord.

Always, he says, again, I say rejoice.

In other words, he's saying, You've got this tension, you've got this tension, and in the middle of pressure with people, at that point it was people, we've got other pressures today, but in that moment with people, he's saying, You've got this pressure, this is the solution.

You need to rejoice again, reinforcing.

I say, rejoice, push back against the pressure, and that is the way we move forward under pressure.

You need to rejoice.

That means return to joy.

And if anyone's like my wife, is like, well, how do I do that?

Well, that's why we're here today, and that's why we're talking.

We're gonna teach you how to rejoice, how to find joy so you can push back under pressure.

One of the best things we can do in rejoicing, one of the best thing we can do to combat worry is to worship, is to push into praise.

And I I hope you enjoyed the earlier worship, and we hope to continue to be able to be a uh a leading example that way of leading in worship, leading in with rejoicing.

We turn our attention to God, and so this is uh this is a call to action.

Paul says, Rejoice.

Again, I say rejoice.

It's this command that says, I need you to start to start thinking.

This is your action plan.

Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, and remember he's in prison and he's writing.

You guys gotta remember, rejoice, rejoice, come on, and that means to turn that word, literally means to push into praise, to turn your attention from things in front of you and lift your head up.

And that means to have that joy that looks up instead of looking at the pressures that are in our world that we're hearing and seeing every day, look up and look and place your eyes on Jesus and keep fixed on Jesus who your joy is found in.

He's your source.

It can be one of the hardest things for you to do when you're in pressure is to like rejoice because we all want to just crumple underneath the weight of it.

But to push back is going to require you finding a place of rejoicing.

Let me let me give you an example of a submarine.

A submarine is just a fantastic vehicle.

It just can go to incredible depths and be placed under extreme pressure.

In the ocean floors, and when it's it's in a place where it's just under incredible pressure.

But there's a secret to the science of a submarine.

Most items, if you and I were to sink to the depths of the ocean floor, we would be crushed.

The weight of the water, the weight of the pressure in the deep sea would crush us.

But there's a secret to the submarine.

And the submarine, what the submarine does is the submarine realizes that the pressure on the inside needs to be equal to or greater than the pressure on the outside.

So the submarine knows that the pressure internally has to be just as strong or stronger than the pressure externally.

And you have to rejoice.

Paul's saying, come on, if you're gonna OD, OD on rejoicing.

Come on, rejoice, rejoice.

Again, I say rejoice, rejoice, rejoice again.

We used to sing songs in church that were rejoice, rejoice again and again and again and again to drive that message into our heart.

The importance of having that internal pressure that combats the external pressures we're facing every day.

Rejoicing gives you a strength inside when there's pressure on the outside.

Rejoicing means a sound or an expression.

To speak words of joy, to sing songs of joy.

It's making the choice to rejoice.

These expressions are not uh uh these expressions are not a result of your environment.

You could be walking through some very difficult times, and you say, Well, I can't find rejoicing, but rejoicing is not a product of your environment.

Rejoicing is a choice.

It means to speak these words and declare these words and these moments in your life like Paul, he had to find that place of rejoicing.

Paul wasn't unfamiliar with prison.

There's another scenario he was in in Acts chapter 16, where he spent time with one of his friends Silas.

Acts 16 · chapter mention

They were in a city, and in that city, they were uh arrested and put in prison.

But they weren't just put in prison, they were like locked up in a nice the Bible says that they were beaten, dragged into the dark, it's like into the inner cells, put in shackles and chains, and stopped in prison.

And the Bible says that he and Silas are sitting there after having done really nothing wrong.

They just disrupted the city because of their message.

But they spoke the truth, and they were sitting there in chains, in shackles, in a place of the prison.

They were not just under physical uh torment, but I can even imagine the spiritual side, like God, where are you?

When I do what's right, why am I there?

And he finds that space, that pressure, and he begins to practice what he's preaching.

And the Bible says that he and Silas turned to each other, and I'm I'm sure it didn't happen like okay, Silas on three, let's start rejoicing.

It was rather a point where they just, I'm sure, out of the groaning and the agony, because they've been beaten, dragged, dark in prison, that they just began to lift up something inside of them.

A spark inside of them of rejoicing.

And the Bible says that after a while their rejoicing began to become contagious within the whole of that area.

And the Bible says that an angel came into that room and blew the shackles off them and set them and burst open all the prison doors.

You see, when you push back, when you're under pressure, when you're in that prison of pressure, you need to.

Find rejoicing because it's the rejoicing that pushes the prison doors open.

Rejoicing pushes that way.

There's an expression of thanksgiving, that expression of praise has got to come from somewhere.

And it may start small.

And you gotta just find it.

And what I do is I go to the word and I gotta find that place.

If it doesn't come easy, I gotta go to his word.

And it might start slow, but I've got to start.

And so today I look at the word of God and it says Psalm 23, 4 says that even though I walk through the valley of death, yes, Lord, you are with me.

Thank you, Lord.

In that place of pressure today, I'm saying, thank you, Lord, you're with me.

Thank you, Lord.

Under pressure, you are with me.

I'm not alone.

I'll fear no evil.

You are with me.

You're comforting me.

Psalm 46, 1 and 2 says, God is my refuge and my strength.

And in pressure points, I start rejoicing in the fact that God is my refuge.

God is my strength.

He's an ever-present help in trouble.

Whenever there's trouble, God is there to help me.

And that I don't have to fear.

I go to Proverbs chapter 3, 25 and 26.

Proverbs 3 · chapter mention

Have no fear, the Bible says, of sudden disaster.

This sure feels sudden.

Or the ruins.

But overtake the wicked, for the Lord will be by your side.

And I just see him like, it's okay, son.

I've got you.

So I begin rejoicing.

Thank you, Lord, that I'm not alone.

Thank you, Lord, that you're by my side.

Thank you, Lord, that you're keeping me from tripping up.

Thank you, Lord, that that you're with me.

Proverbs 29 says this, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

Thank you, Lord, that that you keep me safe.

And then John 14 says, His peace I leave to you.

That like literally Jesus is leaving me, the person of peace.

I can have peace.

And it's not the kind of peace that the world gives, it's the kind of peace that God gives through his person.

And I'm not alone, I'm not without peace.

His peace is greater than my pressure.

And that pressure, when the pressure comes, I know his peace is with me.

And so I start rejoicing in his peace.

And as we move forward that way, we learn to rejoice under pressure.

And it's part of our pushback against the pressure we're facing today.

So would you just say, if you're at home with me, would you just agree with me?

All those who are watching online, everyone here watching online, I need you to say with me, I'm gonna push back against pressure.

Push back against this pressure, and I'm gonna choose to push back against this pressure.

Listen, this chapter of 2020, it's just a chapter.

We'll get through this.

And I know how many people are feeling the anxiety and the pressures related to this pandemic.

I believe it's real, but you may have to practice physical distancing, but you don't have to practice spiritual distancing.

In these times, you can say, Lord, I'm with you.

You got me.

I can rejoice because I'm not alone.

I'm walking through this, but you're holding my hand.

You're leading me, you're guiding me, you're leading me to safe refuge, safe harbor.

I'm not alone.

Philippians 4, 6 says this.

Don't be anxious about anything.

But with in every situation, every situation with prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God.

Too often I find that we pray our anxiety.

But and but we we have to find a reason to pray beyond that.

It's too easy to pray our anxiety.

I'm scared, I'm feeling this.

Instead, pray the truth and say, Lord, thank you that you're with me.

Thank you that I'm not alone.

Thank you that you're leading me to green pastures and still waters.

Thank you, Father, that I I'm I I can wait on you and you're my help.

You'll send help in my trouble.

It's this prayer that we pray to God and and we work this way.

And as we begin to pray, and we begin to give thanks, and we begin to find reason for thanksgiving.

The scripture says in verse 7 that there will be a peace.

There will be the result of it, your rejoicing will lead to a peace, and a peace that passes understanding, and it'll transcend understanding and it'll guard your heart and it'll guard your mind in Christ Jesus.

How I need my heart guarded at this time particularly.

I need my mind guarded at this time because too often we look at it and we go, I don't even know what the opportunities are ahead of me.

I don't know what the options are.

I feel like everything is down and out, but the Lord has a plan.

Even a plan, believe it or not, for me to say to you today, you're gonna prosper in these times.

You're gonna move forward in these times.

Your families are gonna grow stronger, your relationships are gonna grow stronger, you're gonna have a fresh appreciation during this time.

This pressure is gonna birthen you something new and exciting.

I can already sense the creativity and the spirit that God has given us to move forward.

So I give you permission to try it this week.

Try, try, whenever you feel pressure, I want you to turn to rejoicing and turn to the word of God and watch for the peace of God to come and fill your heart.

Uh finally, my brothers, in verse 8, think about these things that are pure, right, lovely, admirable.

If anything's excellent, praiseworthy, think about these things.

Let the peace run your over your heart, over your soul, over your mind, over your emotions, and let it translate into pure thought, exciting thought, excellent thoughts, worthy thoughts.

I just want to take a moment.

I just want to say thank you.

Personally, I just want to say thank you.

I I I've been thinking about those grocery workers.

A lot of people, they just take the job and they think, oh, I'm just gonna be a grocer.

I'm just gonna stock shelves.

Thank you, grocery workers, those people who are in the stores who are dealing with people who are running in and taking everything out, and and you're you I just stock that shelf, I'm gonna have to stock it again, and they're they're scared and they're fearful.

And I just want to say thank you for dealing with them.

Thank you for dealing with us.

Thank you for being patient cashiers for people who are clearly uh concerned with what where things are at and are fearful.

Thank you for being that that wall that you're you're serving and you're supporting our community that way.

Thank you to the doctors and the nurses and the hospitality uh people, hospital staff, and those who are actually making people feel comfortable in their distress.

Thank you for taking care of the elderly, thank you for taking care of the sick.

Thank you.

There's so much to be thankful for.

So when I move from this place, I believe that and when you move from this, whenever you're watching today, I want you to know that you can move forward and you can do this.

See, Paul ends the final portion of Philippians here with a special message, it's something that we all have heard before.

You've seen it on signs of baseball games or and boxers particularly like this scripture, but they always like to say it's a reminder, and Paul's saying, when you're under pressure, rejoice, you can do that.

You'll find the peace, and the peace will translate into thankfulness.

And if you don't think you can do that, listen to Paul.

Paul says, You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.

You can do this.

You can do this.

God's with you this season.

I just want to want you to believe that today.

I want you to receive that today.

You can push back against the pressure.

You can push back and you can grow better, and you're gonna grow stronger.

Your joy is your strength.

Don't let the enemy take your joy, don't let the culture take your joy, don't let the cronavirus take your joy, don't let anything steal your joy because your joy is your strength, and we're gonna move forward and we're gonna move stronger because of it.

Amen.

And so today I know that you're at your home.

And in your home, I believe you know you're in the comforts of your space, you may be with your kids.

And I just want to take this moment just to pray with you.

And so I know this may be different for you in your home over the internet, and but I I want you to know as a pastor, we care for you and we want to believe together with you.

So would you just bow your heads with me?

Just bow your heads and Father, I just thank you that you care for us.

And if there's anyone who's watching, perhaps you found yourself today logging in on our Facebook or logging in through Instagram, and you found this place by accident, but this message is resonating in your heart, that's Jesus.

That's Jesus drawing you close.

He's saying, Hey, let me take your chaos and I'll give you order.

Let me take your life and I'll give you I'll I'll give you uh you peace.

And if you're feeling that way or you're feeling the stress of the the moment right now, Father, would you just pray this with me?

Father, just I surrender to you.

I surrender my heart to you today.

I I I open my heart, I accept the joy that you have for me.

I accept your future for me.

I trust, Lord, that I'm in your hands.

I'm confident today, Lord, that as I confess that you are my Lord, and I trust in you, that you'll bring us through stronger.

And if you haven't received Christ today, that's a simple call out.

That's a simple call to just say, Father, I accept you.

I accept you as my Lord and as my Savior.

I believe that you rose from the dead and you carry my you took my sin and you carried it away.

If I just leave it with you, if I repent and say, I'm sorry, and I leave it with you, and if I make you my Lord and I confess you as my Lord, I'll have and be able to experience that joy and that life eternal.

Father, I thank you today for our church, for everyone who's joining us.

I ask, Father, that you would just protect everyone.

I just pray Psalm 91 over families and homes.

Lord, you would set guards around their homes, Lord, that you would minister to their minds, to the to their soul, to their bodies.

Father, we ask that in these days, Lord, we would grow closer to you and find our strength in you.

We thank you, Lord, for all you're doing, and we trust in you during this season for our every need, our every need, every mental need, every financial need, Lord.

We trust in you.

Lord, you make all things work together for good.

Those who love you are called according to your purpose, and we rejoice even in this difficult time.

We rejoice under pressure, we push against the prison, the doors that would want to close us in, we push against it, and we say no.

We're gonna move forward, we're gonna move out, we're gonna push back, and we're gonna grow stronger.

In Jesus' name.

I love you so much.

I'm so grateful that we are able to share this time together, and we hope to be able to continue to connect with you.

If you if you want to just reach out to us, and we'd be happy to pray with you.

Uh, there's a connection tab below, and uh our team's gonna share with you a little bit more about how you can connect with us through this season.

But we just just know we love you, we care.

God bless you.

And keep you make his face shine upon, be gracious, face for you.

And a thousand generations, and we'll see.

What a great message we heard today.

If you made that choice to follow Jesus, we are so excited for you.

Let us know in the comments, or you can visit our website, scroll to the bottom, and fill out a connection card.

It's the best choice that you could ever make, and we want to connect and celebrate with you.

Greater days are ahead.

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