Peace is a Beast | Divine Interruption | Pastor Scott Thomas

Hey everyone, I'm Liz and we are so glad

you decided to join us today. This

season is full of lights, laughter, and

moments with the people we love. But at

the center of it all is Jesus. Here at

Free Life Chapel, we're all about

helping others discover and live the

free life in Christ. So, if you are ever

in the Central Florida area, we'd love

to connect with you and your family at

one of our Sunday services, 9:00 a.m.,

10:45, or 12:30 p.m. You can also learn

more about who we are and how to get

connected by visiting our website,

freelifechapel.org.

Now, let's jump into today's message cuz

I know you're going to love it.

>> I wasn't raised uh celebrating or

recognizing Advent. Wasn't something we

did. I always saw it on the calendar,

just didn't know what it meant. Advent

literally means arrival. It is looking

ahead and on the countdown with

anticipation. Jesus is coming. Jesus is

coming. And it's really important, I

think, that we have that awareness

intentionally because the culture and

the season we live in can get us so

wrapped up into trees and gifts and

shopping and Amazon and all of that

going on that we can really truly drop,

forget, or lessen what this season

really is all about. Because I want to

remind you something. Jesus's coming to

this earth was not polite. Jesus did not

come and say, "Excuse me, would would

you all mind if I?" That's not how this

went down. When Jesus came, Jesus was a

divine interruption. Radically

interrupted our world. Broke into

culture. Said, "I'm here." And and all

of a sudden affected all of our lives.

You and I are different today because

Jesus came. And we can't even understand

the radical impact that we have in our

life because he came. Even people that

are not Christ followers, their lives

have been radically impacted by the

reality of Jesus coming. And that's what

we're talking about. This interruption

into our mess. But what a wonderful

interruption it was. I want to talk to

you today about peace. What is peace? I

think we we we we may misunderstand it

or we we have just a very scant very

shallow thought process about it. And I

understand that until you see it in the

word. And I want to show you what the

Bible says about peace. Number one,

peace is a person.

Peace is a is a person. The book of Luke

Luke 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, this is where the angels are

announcing Jesus is coming. Here's

here's what they said. Here's what it

says. Suddenly, many other angels came

down from heaven and joined in praising

God. They said, "Praise God in heaven.

Peace on earth to everyone who pleases

God.

The these angels, they did not come

whispering,

"Hey, hey, shepherd,

Jesus is coming."

They like showed up big, bold, bright,

proud, yo.

Boom! MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, LIGHTS UP THE

SKY. ALL THESE ANGELS ARE showing up

going, "Jesus is coming to the earth."

They're making this radical

announcement, this interruption in the

middle of the night, coming into

Bethlehem, announcing this news. And

look what it says. It says peace on

earth because there had been none before

JESUS GOT THERE.

>> THAT there there was no peace. There's

peace in heaven. There's peace in

eternity. But I need some peace right

now. Could anybody use some more peace

in your life right now? Just a little

bit. Yeah, I know. Me, too. And that's

why this is good news. But it says,

"Peace on earth to everyone who pleases

God. As long as I'm focused on him, as

long as I'm aware that he's there, as

long as he's got my attention, I'm God

conscious, I have the ability to live

with this peace in my life that Jesus

came to give us." In fact, when the

angels made this announcement, they were

reiterating what the prophet Isaiah in

the Old Testament had said about Jesus,

his coming hundreds of years before

Jesus is born. And here's what Isaiah

said in the book of in chapter nine. He

says that Jesus will be the prince of

peace,

y'all. Prince is a is a title of

authority.

It's a role of I decide things. I'm not

taking a vote. I don't really care what

they say. If I'm the prince, I'm ruling

in this situation. Jesus is the ruler,

the authority, the voice that decides

about peace. And that's what he is

called, the prince of peace. His name it

it it carries that that power. It

carries that impact. And this is more

than just a feeling. This is the person

of Jesus. Oh, peace has a name. His

peace's name is Jesus. And have you ever

been in a place where you just need to

say his name? You've been going through

something like Jesus. You ever

experienced that before? Didn't know

what to pray, but oh Jesus. Jesus. Have

you noticed that when you hit those

points saying, "Oh, Bob." Just does not

do for you what Jesus does.

Oh, Paco. Oh, no. That ain't going to

peanut. No, it it just doesn't do. Cha

na. IT IT DOESN'T WORK. And I'm not mad

at any of those folks. Lulu, Wilbur, any

of them. I'M NOT MAD AT ANYBODY'S NAME.

BUT IT JUST DOESN'T HIT LIKE JESUS.

BECAUSE when you say Jesus, his name

literally means salvation.

>> You're literally calling on salvation.

The one who carries peace and brings it

into our life. That's exactly what

you're declaring. That's why Ephesians

chapter 2:14 says this. Read it with me.

For he himself is our

Jesus is our peace. Peace has a name.

Jesus. That means you you can have a

relationship with peace.

Peace is not a noun that sits over to

the side that you just look at. Peace is

a person that is alive and active

and you can relate, connect with, you

can interact, you can talk to peace, you

can ask peace to come.

>> This is who he is and this is what he

does. And and let me remind you when I

say peace what we're talking about.

Because some of you have the thought

process, well, I know what peace is.

Peace is when there's no more conflict

in my life. Well, good luck with that.

>> When ever have you lived conflict free?

>> When ever have you been in so much

control that you could stop this and

stop that and all I take today is peace.

Then you scroll through social media and

7 seconds into social media, you're

conflicted again, right? Conflict

happens all around. How many of you are

married?

>> Conflict. There you go. Conflict.

Conflict. Conflict. How many you have

kids? Enough said. How many you have a

job? Hey, how many you have a pulse? You

breathe. You have a pulse. WELCOME TO

CONFLICT. It is pre-scheduled. It's

coming. You can't stop it. Conflict is

there. So peace is not the absence of

conflict. That's not what the Bible

says. That's not realistic. The word for

peace is shalom. And we need some shalom

in our home is what I'm trying to tell

you. Shalom. What does shalom mean? It

literally means to be whole, to be

complete. It means nothing missing,

nothing broken. It's even a word that

was used in the financial world where it

means the debt has been paid.

Shalom. All the corners are tucked in.

It's settled. It's done. It's complete.

It's whole. Nothing is out of order. You

see, before Jesus came, that wasn't the

option. That wasn't the reality. There

were gaps. There were holes. There was a

mess. Now that Jesus has come, there's

no reason for you to live without it.

>> Peace is a person. You can know him. But

but peace also is a mission.

It's a mission. There's a purpose to

peace. Jesus came with this mission to

bring peace to the earth. That's what

the angel said. What was the mission? To

heal the divide, the breakdown, the

separation that happened all the way

back in Genesis. We've been waiting a

long time for this. Jes Adam and Eve

screwed this thing up and all of a

sudden we have chaos. We have separation

between God and man. And if it had not

been Adam and Eve, it would have been

Scott and Cindy. We would have screwed

the whole thing up. Not Cindy. It would

have been Scott. Scott would have

screwed this whole thing up and and I

would have made it go sideways and we

would HAVE NEEDED JESUS. THIS IS why

Jesus is called the second Adam. The

first Adam blew it. And what did he

blow? He blew the connection the the

relationship that that that God and man

had together. When Adam blew it with

sin, rebellion, and was evicted from the

garden, Jesus is called the second Adam

who came back in to do it right and to

restore what? Adam broke apart. That's

exactly why he came. The Bible says in

Luke chapter 19, it says, "The Son of

Luke 19 · chapter mention

Man came to seek and to save that which

was lost, not those

that

well, what what's the difference? He

didn't just come Oh, he did come to save

people, but he came to save everything

that we lost in the garden." When man

and God were separated, everything Adam

and Eve had, oh, they had relationship,

but within that relationship, they also

had a peace. They had a joy. They had a

a rest inside. They had provision

coming. They they had so many things

that were available to them that wasn't

available after they sinned. And the

Bible says that Jesus came to restore

that. Somebody shout that.

>> That's what he came to restore. He came

to heal what broke down there. And how

did he do it? He did it by dying on the

cross for you and I. Taking our place,

paying our price for the breakdown

between God and humanity to then heal

and restore that. That's what John

John 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14 Jesus Jesus said this. He

said this, "Peace I leave with you. My

peace I give you. I do not give to you

as the world gives. Do not let your

hearts be troubled and do not be

afraid." He He's saying the peace that I

have for you is not common. It's

superior and it's outside of anything

you're going to find in this world. You

can go to a party, do a pill, a person,

go on a vacation, buy a new house,

change jobs, all of that stuff. And that

thing that you think is going to give

you peace, it's going to be gone like

that.

>> It's horrible to think, I just need a

vacation. You go on a vacation and

you're back in 30 minutes being back,

you've already got chaos happening in

the house again. like where did all that

peace go? It's you're trying a piece

that the world gives and it runs out.

It's not going to it's not going to

last. But Jesus said, I got a piece. I

got a piece that's not of this world.

And I got a peace that doesn't ask the

world if it's okay if you live in peace.

I'm the prince of peace. I'm the one who

decides. I'm the one who rules. I walk

in authority. And that peace is what I

want you to walk in. And here's what he

says. He said, "Don't let your heart get

twisted. Don't go crazy and lose your

mind." HE SAID, "DON'T BE TROUBLED. DO

NOT BE AFRAID. WHY WOULD HE SAY THAT?

BECAUSE life is bringing some trouble.

Life is bringing some opportunities to

freak out right now. AND HE'S SAYING,

"DON'T DO THAT. HOLD. I got you. Hold.

My peace is different. You're not

depending on circumstances to get

better. I'm going to do something in you

so that you're greater inside, stronger

inside than the stuff happening outside.

Greater is he who is in you than the

stuff that's happening around you.

>> That means I can stand in it and have a

peace as if I'm standing in the eye of

the storm. Everything is twisting around

me and everything is blowing away, but

I'm standing in a place of calm and I

know everything is going to be all

right.

You see, when Jesus came and he died,

now your sin debt is gone. I if if I

told everyone today, I'm writing a check

and I'm going to I'm going to leave you

debtree before you leave this house

today. I'm paying off your house. I'm

paying off your car. I'm I'm I'm taking

care of your kids. Like just gone. Would

that kind of be good news to anybody in

the room right there?

>> Yeah. Don't approach me after church.

It's not happening. But I'm I'm just

saying. I'm just saying. Ladies and

gentlemen, we're talking we're talking

resources. They come, they go, and it's

great to be debtree. I get all that. But

there was a debt that you had no ability

to pay off yourself that Jesus stepped

in and he said, "I'm paying this bill.

It's a sin debt that is going to stain

you and it will dictate to your

eternity, but I'm stepping in and I'm

wiping the slate clean. I'm paying it

for you." Can anybody say, "Thank you,

Jesus, for his debt-free plan in our

life as well." That's good news. So now

you're no longer doing life alone.

You're part of the family of God. And we

a crazy family. We are a crazy family.

But but but but you're part of a family.

You belong now. So peace is a person and

peace is a mission. But peace is also a

weapon.

Oh, I I need to lean into this one right

here for you. Because you see, peace is

a force that comes to interrupt chaos in

your life.

The challenge is many of us think peace

is a reward

for lasting long enough when the truth

is peace is a weapon

>> that steps into chaos that turns into a

reward in your life.

>> You are not living as a victim of

circumstances, waiting for it to change

and go away. You're not waiting on the

storm to run out of rain before you ever

see the sunshine again. He says, "I will

step into it and peace is going to rule

and reign in this situation and it will

turn things for your good. Peace is a

weapon." Oh, we got to stop seeing it as

this cute cuddly little furry kind of

thing. That's not what peace is. Peace

has fangs. Peace has shoulders. Peace

growls. Peace peace leans in and it goes

after it confronts. It fights those

things that are trying to destroy you.

In the book of Ephesians chapter 6, this

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

guy named Paul who wrote, he's writing

in this chapter about we got to put on

the full armor of Christ, helmet of

salvation, shield of faith, but talking

all these amazing pieces of armor. And

he says, I want your feet shod with the

preparation of the gospel of peace. In

other words, the the the shoes that you

wear, they are literally the gospel of

peace. It's the good news and the truth

of the peace of God is on your feet. Why

is it important that your shoes are

shoes of peace? Because when you are in

a fight, the enemy of your life, the

circumstances he throws at you are

trying to unnerve you, to derail you, to

get you to throw your hands up and quit

and walk away. It doesn't work. I don't

really care. And you bail. Ladies and

gentlemen, when life hits you in the

face, you got to know something deeper

than circumstances. When life comes at

you, you got to know that in spite of

what I feel, this is what I know.

Feelings will lie to you. Emotions will

lie to you. The truth of God's word will

become an anchor in your life. And when

your feet are solid and situated, it

will hold you when the wind blows. You

may rock, but my feet are not leaving

its place. I've got peace that I'm

standing on, and it's fighting back for

me. This is WHAT'S AMAZING. WHEN YOU

UNDERSTAND THAT, then it gives a picture

for what Romans chapter 16 really comes

Romans 16 · chapter mention

alive in this. I want you to read it

with me. Ready? The God of peace will

quickly crush Satan under your feet.

When you're standing in this peace, IT'S

NOT THAT I'M JUST STANDING AND I'M JUST

HOLDING ON. Oh God, I hope I can weather

this. No, something is dying under your

feet. You're crushing the enemy when you

HOLD ON. WHEN YOU DON'T BELIEVE HIS LIE,

WHEN YOU DON'T RESPOND to the emotions,

when you don't let them trigger you

online and I hold my ground, something

is dying. The enemy of your life is

dying under this peace, THIS GOSPEL OF

PEACE THAT YOU'RE STANDING ON IN your

life. There is nothing like knowing that

I'm not holding on to him. He's actually

holding on to me. Crazy times come, but

peace is your weapon.

in December

1914,

about three years before I was born.

In 1914,

World War I had broken out and they were

five months into the war.

The Germans and the British

were at it. They were dug in and the

front that they were fighting on, the

western front in particular that they

were fighting on was just basically a

hell on earth. It was it was horrible.

The landscape between both armies was

covered in barbed wire. It was so cold

that the ground was frozen solid. It was

just frozen mud everywhere in the air.

Historians say you could smell artillery

fire, the gunpowder that was in the air.

And they said you could even have the

stench of death because so many were

dying. It was a tragic scenario.

The British were in one side, the

Germans were on the other side, and the

land between them was called no man's

land. Nobody stepped into it. If you

stepped into it, you get shot. You You

die. It was just It was a standoff. And

they had been fighting for several

months, shooting real bullets, shooting

real artillery at each other. But but

something unexpected happened. In

December 1914

on Christmas Eve,

there was a sudden stop.

A silence

hit the battlefield.

It was weird. It you would almost think

that generals had gotten together,

signed a peace treaty, and settled

everything. But that that's really not

actually what happened. Something

something even greater than that

happened.

It started on the German side and it

made the British a little suspicious and

they were quite honestly confused

because in the middle of the night the

British were looking and they started

seeing little lights

appear on the German side and they're

like what what are these lights that

we're seeing? Come on.

And then there was there was singing

heard

in German. The the British didn't speak

German. They didn't know what they were

saying. But after a minute, they they

understood they I know that melody.

And slowly the British began to join in

singing.

And come to find out all of them

together, the Germans and the British

were singing s Silent

night,

holy night.

Both armies

in the cold of the night. And come to

find out, the Germans, the little light

were miniature Christmas trees that they

were holding up with a little light in

them.

And in that moment,

war was no longer the agenda.

In that moment, the recognition on both

sides that this is the night that peace

came to the earth.

The spirit of Jesus came alive on that

battlefield in 1914

unannounced. And here's what's even

crazier.

When this hit and they began to sing and

fill the air with this singing and these

little lights, the soldiers climbed out

of the trenches and started moving into

no man's zone.

They're stepping out and the officers on

both SIDES WERE SCREAMING, "GET BACK IN

THE TRENCHES. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" THEY

WENT CRAZY. But but the spirit and the

atmosphere in that war zone of Christ of

of that healing of that the peace of

that night was so strong they both began

to come out and they met. History

records they met in no man's zone.

They're stepping over barbed wire to get

out in the middle and they begin to

shake hands with the men that they were

just shooting bullets at hours earlier.

And now they begin to share food.

They're sharing cigarettes. They're

pulling pictures out and showing this is

my wife. These are my kids. They're

sharing a moment all together in no

man's land. They've never talked to each

other. They're trying to communicate the

best they can. They they even went so

far as somebody a a soccer ball came out

and they played a soccer game

in no man's land.

>> Two armies that were just trying to

EXTERMINATE EACH OTHER. BUT SOMETHING

hit that night. The spirit of Christ,

the spirit of peace really just brought

them to A PLACE WHERE IT BEGAN TO unify

that entire place. And come to find out

that that moment of peace was stronger

than the authority of war.

>> This was so real that today in the in

the UK there is a monument. There's a

statue that has been prepared that is

now up to commemorate

that night

that the soldiers went against their

officers orders and they met in the

middle. And it was the spirit of that

night that began to heal what was

actually being destroyed. I I want you

to understand something today.

The peace of Jesus is more powerful than

politics and war.

>> It's enough to stop bullets and turn

enemies into brothers. And the power of

peace that Jesus brings doesn't wait for

your war to end before it takes effect.

The war was going on, but peace showed

up in the middle of the war and it

stopped the war. And I want you to

understand the war that you may be going

through in your mind, in your family, in

your relationships, with your children,

on the job, with the doctor in your

body, Jesus, his peace is a warrior. And

he has the ability to step in and calm

and stop the fighting, the conflict, the

chaos that is raging and roaring in your

heart and in my mind. And when that

happens, we begin to live at a different

level. Jesus, his peace becomes our

weapon. And now we're loaded with hope.

Now we're loaded with confidence. Now

we're loaded with joy. Not because the

circumstances change, but because

something changed inside of me. He's a

He's a fighter. It's a warrior. It's a

weapon.

Here's the here's the final aspect of

peace that I think we need to look at

during this season. What did Jesus bring

to us? Peace is a restorer.

Life is messy.

We We've all been broken.

Y'all aren't going to help me a bit. All

right. I need you to look at your

neighbor right now and tell him, "I know

you're a mess." Just just go ahead and

just tell them, "I know you're a mess. I

know you're a mess."

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Look

back at him. Tell him, "I am too. I am

too." Just go ahead and admit it. I am

too.

And tell each other, "But I love you

anyhow." That that's that's kind of how

we roll, right? We we could we could put

nice hats on messed up minds. We we can

we can try to dress it up and act. But

the truth is, if you really knew the

person beside you and what they had been

through, it would shock you what they

have survived. If you got the chance to

take them to Starbucks, sit down, have a

cup of if you could go to Dunkin Donut

and sit down and have a cup of coffee

with them, you would be amazed when you

hear their story as to what it is that

they came through. You would find out

that you're having coffee with a miracle

right now.

>> Amen. Because we have all come through

some things that I promise you there was

a plan of the enemy to take us out.

You're not here because you're that

good. You good, but you ain't that good.

No. No. God has been good to you and

he's been for you and standing with you

and fighting with you. That's why you're

here right now. DON'T GET IT TWISTED.

Don't get it twisted.

Life is messy. We've all been broken.

But I want you to understand this. The

peace of Jesus isn't just a person and

it isn't just a mission and it isn't

just a weapon. It's a peace that

restores us. Isaiah chapter 26:3 says

this. Read this with me. With perfect

peace you will protect those whose minds

cannot be changed because they trust

you. Perfect peace. Nothing missing,

nothing broken. I have put the full

weight of my life on you and I'm not

moving. I've come too far. I'm not

bailing out. I'm holding on to you. I'm

trusting you. Even when I can't see you,

I'll trust your hand when I can't. I

trust your heart when I can't see your

hand moving. I know you're there. I'm

holding on. There's many times I've come

to church and you see me raise my hands

and praise down here. And that's not

because everything was going good. It's

I was praising in spite of what was

going on in my life. That was me holding

on. That was me trusting God. I have

stood up here and preached messages to

you of hope only realizing I need that

same hope in my life because of what I'm

experiencing like you don't even

understand. Don't don't ever think that

just because I'm preaching it, I've got

it together. Everybody in this room

starting with the guy holding the mic.

We need this hope. We need this peace.

We need a perfect peace to restore us.

None of us are going to escape this

perfect peace. You'll protect those who

refuse to bail.

I'm not going to let someone trigger me

on social media. I'm not going to let

the issue with the child derail my hope

in you. I don't like the news at the

office, but I'm going to trust you in

spite of it. I don't have time to go

emotional and react on it. I'm going to

back up. I'm going to breathe deep and

I'm going to trust you, God, to walk me

through this.

I want you to imagine with me for just a

second

of a bowl, beautiful bowl that was

crafted by a by a master master pottery

maker. And he had etches and he had

designs in it that were just gorgeous.

And that bowl was was so beautiful and

so handcrafted. It was set on a shelf so

that when everybody came in this house,

they would look at that shelf and go.

It sat there beautifully for everyone to

come in and admire.

One day, an earthquake

hits where that house is,

and that bowl starts to shake on that

shelf.

And in just a few moments, it's off the

shelf and it hits the ground and it

shatters in a hundred pieces.

It's everywhere.

Shards went this way. Pieces flew that

way. Big pieces, small pieces,

fragments. It splattered and went un It

went under the table. It's in the

corner. It's un It's in the rug. It's

under the furniture. It's everywhere.

Gone.

Our mindset, our western mindset that we

think through says this. Sweep it up and

throw it away.

>> We'll go find another one. It's done.

It's broken. Therefore, it's trash.

What's amazing

is in Japan, there is an art form that's

called kinugi.

Kugi is a is where they have these

master designers and they look for

broken pieces of art and pottery. So

where the bowl falls off and hits and it

splatters and a western mindset WOULD GO

THROW IT AWAY. The the this master, this

kugi master rushes in on his knees and

begins to pick up the pieces. He begins

to sweep up in the corners, not to throw

away, but to just gather everything that

was a part of this bowl. Everything

about its original design. I want to

find everything. The rim is here. Part

of the bottom is there. Over to the

side, I see I see some paint chip. Let

me pull that in. He gathers everything.

And what he's doing is that this master

designer is actually performing, watch

this, shalom.

Peace over the bowl. Let me explain. The

first thing he does is he ensures

nothing is missing.

>> I will gather all the pieces. Every

shard, every sliver, I'm going to find

all of it and gather it together. And

the second thing he does is he assures

not just that nothing is missing. Now,

nothing is broken

because he begins to lay these pieces

out. And he doesn't go get gorilla glue

or duct tape or superglue. No, he's got

is this special lacquer that this master

uses and inside the lacquer, it's dusted

with gold. Literal gold. And he sits

down and begins to put the pieces

together. But the way that the pieces

come together is with this lacquer that

is filled with gold. So that every place

the bowl was cracked, you see a vein of

gold that begins to appear. That no

longer does it look like just a

shattered mess, but you you've got this

beautiful picture of this bowl that is

there where the pieces fell apart, but

once it got to the master's hands and he

began to put it back together, now the

gold the scars turned to gold. where

once it was ugly, now it makes it stand

out. And here is what amazing. Not only

does the bowl come back together and

it's able to actually function in its

full purpose. You could have your cereal

in that bowl. You could do that. But you

would never want to do that now because

after the master finished with it, THE

BOWL IS ACTUALLY more valuable now than

it was before it was even broken.

Because once it hit the master's hands,

I'm not going to JUST PUT YOU BACK THE

WAY YOU WERE, but I'm going to put you

back with a greater investment. And

people are going to look at you and

first of all wonder, were you ever

really broken to begin with? Because

once the master put you back together,

it's hard to really see the cracks. But

when they do see the veins and the

cracks and the scars, they're going to

see golden grace filling each one of

those scars. And now you become this

beautiful picture. And these bowls that

these these artisans are putting

together are selling for the hundreds of

thousands around the world because they

have a whole different life about them.

I want you to understand something. When

things have fallen apart in your life,

if you'll give the pieces to the master

artisan, some will want to throw you

away. But you've got one who is

gathering the pieces because he sees the

ability to restore you not to just what

you were, but to put his added extra

peace into your life and to make you

even more valuable than you were before

you were ever broken. Only Jesus and his

peace can do that. And I want to show

you what that looks like in real life.

Watch this.

I grew up in the church since I was

little. Uh my parents served and were

very involved. Turned 18.

Um something changed and I wanted

freedom and I knew I had it. I just

wanted to experience life my way.

You know, it it started out with hanging

out with friends and partying.

I started experimenting with drugs.

I feel like that life completely

consumed me. I went from one toxic

relationship to another. I found myself

in the bathroom covering up bruises all

over my body and and and just asking

myself, how did I how did I get here?

Life really hit hard when I found myself

sitting on the couch across from my

boyfriend's parents telling me, you

know, you can't have this baby. You have

you have to get rid of it.

I remember being in the bathroom in the

bathtub,

you know, the water running

and sitting there doing what I always

told myself I was I would never do. All

my morals just left cuz an abortion was

something I was so against. I literally

felt my heart break and my heart sink.

Sorry. I didn't

I didn't do what I needed to do and turn

to God. I just I went deeper down that

rabbit hole. I tried everything. I I I

did everything and nothing worked.

I I needed to get out. And it it was the

first time I heard I felt like I really

heard God asking me, "Are what are you

doing? Are you done?

And that's when I made the decision to

leave. I moved to Florida in 2017

and came to Free Life Chapel and

stepping into

church was the first time I felt peace.

I remember

sitting in the second row and listening

to Pastor Scott's sermon

and instant chills with everything he

said. And that's when it all that's when

it all changed. That's when I actually

wanted to keep coming back to church.

2018, April 2018,

there was a baptism and I finally decide

that it was time.

A feeling I can't even explain.

I was trying to figure out what my

purpose was in life. So, I decided to

take Activate in 2024.

Not knowing what was going to happen.

And I just I I wanted to know more about

who God was. And I took it not realizing

that it was the healing that I needed.

Free Life is more than just uh church.

It's family.

And

it's family I needed. You're never too

far gone.

I thought I was stepping into church and

finally giving my life to God. The it

felt like the pieces started coming

together and I was able to be happy.

>> Can you celebrate that? A life change.

Christina and Troy usually sit right up

here in the wing of the balcony every

Sunday worshiping together.

If you got around Christina, you would

never know she'd been broken.

>> You would never know her story. It It

would not make sense because that's the

work of Jesus. I want you to understand

today,

right now for your life, the prince of

peace is on his knees looking for the

pieces of your heart

>> to put it back together again.

>> He's going after the pieces of your joy

that have been broken, your dreams that

are missing, the gaps,

the the the the the talent, the ability.

He He He's looking for the missing

pieces of your mind so that you can

breathe deep and laugh real again.

Ladies and gentlemen, he's not playing

with you. He wants to heal you and seal

the broken areas with his grace

so that nothing's missing and nothing is

broken in your life. Would you stand to

your feet today?

Peace is a person. His name is Jesus.

Peace is a mission. He paid your sin

debt.

Peace is a weapon. He's fighting for you

every day.

Peace is a restorer.

He's going to turn your brokenness into

a masterpiece,

but he needs you to trust him.

All of it's available. And he says the

next step is yours.

And if you will dare take a step towards

him and trust him, he'll wrap arms

around you. He doesn't have elbows to

throw. He's not going to pull up your

past and throw it around. We've all got

a past. We're all screwed in some area

of our life. But when Jesus gets

involved, he heals and puts together in

ways that you can't even explain. And

you will raise your head and you will be

like Christina. I don't even look like

where I came from because Jesus knows

how to heal from the inside out. And

that's where life really gets good.

Would you bow your heads in this room?

If you're here today and you say, "I

need Jesus in my life, Scott. I need a

real relationship with Jesus. I want to

know him. I want to invite him in my

heart. I won't I I'm not going to do

this perfect. I know I still got issues

and and I struggle in some areas. So,

I'm I'm not claiming I'm going to live

perfect, but I'm just saying I'll I'll

talk to him and I'll keep coming after

him. But I want to ask him into my life

today to forgive me and change me. If

that's what you're saying today and you

want to pray that prayer, I'm going to

pray it with you. On the count of three,

I just want you to throw your hand up

and pull it right back down. One, two,

three. Where are you? Oh, yeah. My kind

of people. You can you pull them down.

Here's what's beautiful. Heaven saw your

hand. And if you'll pray this prayer

behind me, mean it with all your heart.

You're going to be just as just as right

with Jesus as anybody else in this room.

Pray this. Say, "Jesus,

>> Jesus,

>> come into my heart.

>> Take over my life.

>> Take over my heart.

>> I give you all of me.

>> And I take all of you.

>> I take all of you.

>> Take all the brokenness.

>> Take all the pieces.

and do something special with it.

>> In my life, in my life,

>> heal me.

>> Fight for me.

>> Restore me.

>> Give me purpose.

>> Give my life back.

>> Bring my dreams back.

>> I take all of you.

>> Take all of me.

>> I'm yours.

>> You're mine.

>> In Jesus name.

>> Amen.

Can you just stop right there and give

God thanks for that that that prayer

right there, that moment. It's not cute.

It's so special.

And Father, I pray over all my friends

in this room right now that are going

through a broken season in their life

and they feel like pieces are missing

and they don't feel like they can get up

and go on any anymore. People have been

sweeping the pieces up to throw them

away. But today, we're reminded of your

grace, your love, your mercy that you

never give up on us. You're always

there. When religion walks out, you walk

in. When family walks out, you walk in.

When those that we depended on the most

fail, you catch us. Thank you that

you're for us and with us. And today,

you're not coming to condemn. You're

coming to lift and heal and encourage

and pull back together. So today, thank

you that you're what you do is unlike

any other. Your peace that you give is

unlike any other. We need it today, God.

And I pray you would pour it into the

hearts and minds and families of

everybody in this room, business owners

and moms and dads and students and and

and and singles and and and grandparents

and aunts and uncles. God, would you

just bathe our hearts, our minds, our

lives in whatever is going on that the

peace inside of us would be raging so

strong that nothing on the outside will

ever uproot or move the foundation that

we have in you today. Jesus, we admit we

need you. We call on you. Peace has a

name and it's Jesus. And today, as we

call on you, we thank you that the

mission that you have is to restore us

and fight for us and put us back

together again. You've paid our debt.

We're here with a future that only you

could give. God, thank you that you heal

all the way.

We love you. We declare that we need you

and we celebrate your activity in our

life in Jesus name. Everybody said amen.

>> Amen. Amen. One more time, would you put

those hands together?

>> I hope that encouraged you today. For

more messages like this one, visit our

website, freelifechapel.org.

And until next time, have a blessed day.