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A life-giving Jesus community for a new generation of people in Sacramento.
Join us every Sunday
Old Sacramento: 8:30 AM, 10:00 AM & 11:45 AM @ 1200 2nd Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
South Sacramento: 10:00 AM (English) & 11:30 AM (Spanish) @ 6528 44th Street, Sacramento, CA 95823
Online: https://www.youtube.com/projectchurchsac
00;00;00;00 - 00;00;16;27
Good morning everyone. Project church I'm so happy to be here today. Are you? Yes. What a beautiful church. We love your pastors. Are they the best? Let's give it up for your pastors. They are just a gift to Sacramento and beyond. We just love them so much. Again, I'm Angie Ritchie. What a joy to be here.
00;00;16;27 - 00;00;40;26
So I'm going to switch some hats around today with being not only bringing the word, but a little bit of psychology. But I come here being married 32 years this month and as many hats as I wear, my favorite is this. You guys ready? I'm a Gigi. I have two grandkids. My my youngest is just a few, like what, six weeks old.
00;00;41;03 - 00;00;57;08
And I have a two almost a two year old. And then my son is also having another baby. My son, of course, but we give it up for men. Thank you. You are a part of the whole process. My daughter in love is expecting their baby in just a few weeks, so I'm going to have several under two years old.
00;00;57;08 - 00;01;18;21
And how many grandparents in the room? You guys, it's the best. I'm in the club. Wow. Wouldn't you just skip to this part if you could? Great, grandma. Oh, you guys, it's so good. It's so good. What a joy to be in the house of the Lord today. And my message today as we get an attitude adjustment. You guys ready for an attitude adjustment?
00;01;18;22 - 00;01;43;05
Yeah. See, when Pastor Caleb said I was teaching on this passage, I was like, what are you. I'm offended. Why do I have to teach on meekness? Because I guess God says that I need to be more meek in my life. But I'm honored to be here. But my the message today is entitled meekness, power under control. Turn to your neighbor and say power under control.
00;01;43;07 - 00;02;03;18
Now is playing around with titles for this message and I thought a few. I ended up landing on meekness power under control. But I thought about this one. Tell me if you like it. Unbothered. The blessed life of the meek. I thought that was cool. Okay. Or how about Kingdom calm in a triggered world? I thought that was pretty relevant to.
00;02;03;18 - 00;02;33;10
I was feeling that one. But where's my Gen Zers? I was how how's this one? You don't have to match their energy. That resonates. That resonates. It's hard. The reality is everyone. We live in a world that is loud, that is reactive, deeply polarized. Everywhere we turn, people are being discipled by outrage. Right? Social media trains us to respond quickly, defend ourselves publicly, and assume the worst about people who see the world differently than we are.
00;02;33;12 - 00;02;56;07
Someone post something. Someone misunderstands us. Someone cuts us off. Maybe that happened on the way to church. I pray that you were a good Christian this morning. Someone disagrees politically, theologically or relationally, or someone does not text back. You know what our brains do when someone doesn't text back? Someone says the wrong thing and the wrong tone, and suddenly we're not just responding, we're what we're reacting.
00;02;56;07 - 00;03;17;25
We're being aggressive. This is what the world tells us. If I'm loud, I'm strong. If I clap back, I'm powerful. If I stay offended, I am righteous. If I dominate, I am winning. This is the kind of culture we're in where when we talk about meekness now, that almost sounds offensive. It sounds like weakness, doesn't it? It sounds like passivity.
00;03;17;26 - 00;03;42;10
How many of you are literally trickled, triggered by weakness? It makes you uncomfortable, right? We want people to be in charge. We want certainty. But it also can sound like people walking all over us. But when Jesus steps onto a mountain in Matthew chapter five, and I think your pastor did such an amazing job a couple of weeks ago, laying the groundwork for the Beatitudes.
00;03;42;10 - 00;04;03;08
In fact, what I love is this was the same passage of scripture projects church started with 12 years ago, which means to me, this is the DNA of your church that you are welcoming an upside down kingdom, that you are being so much like Jesus. You are counterculture. And here we are 12 years later talking about it again.
00;04;03;08 - 00;04;22;02
And here we are in Matthew chapter five, Jesus steps onto a mountain. He gathers his disciples. He looks. All of a sudden he looks at the crowds. Thousands are coming. People are coming from all walks of life the down and out, the broken, the religious, the tired, the distress. And here Jesus is becoming an influencer, the first influencer of his time.
00;04;22;02 - 00;04;51;01
He is obvious. People are hearing about him, people are talking about him. And so they're coming to him to say, Jesus could be the King, the Messiah that we've been waiting for, we've been waiting for. And yet Jesus comes with a word completely different. He says this blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Not the aggressive, not the defensive, not the easily offended, not the ones who always have to win the meek.
00;04;51;04 - 00;05;19;11
See, meekness is not weakness. Meekness is powers submitted to God, strength regulated by love, and a soul secure enough to not be ruled by offense. The Beatitudes are not random inspirational sayings. They are Jesus's opening declaration of what life looks like in the Kingdom of God. And I love that the first passage preached 12 years ago again at Project Church was this passage.
00;05;19;11 - 00;05;44;11
So let's set the tone again. In Matthew five, Jesus is speaking to a people living under Roman occupation, surrounded by a lot of political tension, religious pressure, social division, economical hardship and spiritual longing. Many were waiting for a messiah who would overthrow the Roman government with force. They expected power to look like domination, control victory over their enemies.
00;05;44;11 - 00;06;14;08
But Jesus begins his ministry by redefining power altogether. I am sure this was a disappointing message when Jesus says, blessed are the meek. I want to be really clear he is not blessing weakness. He is blessing, surrendered strength. Think about that. The Greek word carries the idea of gentleness, humility and power under control. Again, say power under control.
00;06;14;10 - 00;06;42;28
See, meekness is not the absence of conviction, right? It is conviction without cruelty. It is strength without ego. Oh, don't you love the ego? It feels good, right? But Jesus is saying, this is strength without it. It is courage without contempt. It is ability to carry authority, without needing to dominate, to carry pain, without becoming harsh. This is why meekness is so counterculture, and it certainly is today.
00;06;43;01 - 00;07;04;18
The passage confronts on only the world around us, but the world within us. I want us to think about for for a bit. This passage is so relevant to today's world. But today, in who we are, whatever age you are, wherever you come from, I see multi generations in this room. I see different backgrounds, different cultures, different works.
00;07;04;20 - 00;07;29;27
But this is relevant. We've learned how to survive, but we haven't always learned how to be become formed. Because polarization is not only political, it's cultural, it's also personal. This shows up in our marriages. This shows up in our churches, our families, our workplaces, and even in our nervous system. So you're going to hear some a little bit of psychology today, but it's so relevant.
00;07;30;00 - 00;07;51;17
See, many of us are living in a triggered, defensive, exhausted and dysregulated states. We're in fight or flight. Cortisol is super high. How many of you have high blood pressure? How many of you are stressed out? We are living in a state of stress. We have learned how to survive, not always how to be formed. We know how to protect ourselves, but not always how to surrender ourselves.
00;07;51;18 - 00;08;14;15
So today I just want to encourage you. Jesus is calling us to become regulated, spirit led, rooted people who are strong enough to stay gentle. See, that's the hard part these days is how to be soft, how to be kind, how to be gentle. Ladies, where my ladies at? Right? We live. Yes. Love you guys. See, we live in a lot of masculine energy.
00;08;14;21 - 00;08;31;27
We carry it. We? My husband. I love my husband. My husband is so alpha. He's so masculine and he needs a sweet wife. And I just have a hard time getting there sometimes. Right? Because the world is hostile. I got to lead. I got to do all these things. I got to manage. Right. But God is saying surrender.
00;08;31;29 - 00;08;54;13
Surrender every day so that I, you, me, men and women can be gentle. So let's look a little bit more at the context again. Matthew five opens up the sermon. He's speaking to his disciples, the crowds, ordinary oppressed religious people, but people longing for the kingdom of God. And so these are not random inspirations. They are just not good, good things to say.
00;08;54;13 - 00;09;12;04
But they show us what life of Jesus looks like and how it's formed in us. So I want to talk about the order of the Beatitudes. So two weeks ago, Pastor Caleb talked about two of them. Blessed are the poor in spirit, and blessed are those who mourn. The order matters. Number one, blessed are the poor in spirit.
00;09;12;05 - 00;09;40;18
This is where we recognize my need, our need for God. You guys, we need him like we have to get to the point. And it took me a while to get here and I'll tell you why in a minute. But we are nothing without God. We are nothing like he literally allows us the breath that we breathe. We are only here because he has willed it, not because we're awesome.
00;09;40;22 - 00;10;03;14
Okay, God, things were awesome. But listen, when we think we're awesome that that gets us in trouble, we have to recognize our need. We are desperate for him. We need him with everything we have. Number two, blessed are those who mourn. We have to recognize that we can grieve sin. We can grieve loss. We can grieve injustice and brokenness.
00;10;03;16 - 00;10;26;09
We recognize we need God in that. We can grieve. And this week, blessed are the meek. Now that I'm emptied of pride and soften, softened with holy grief, I can now recognize that I no longer need to control everything. Turn to your the person next to you and say, I don't need to control everything.
00;10;26;11 - 00;10;44;06
Like like seriously, where am I overachievers? Where am I control freaks? My type A is my firstborns. You guys need to chill, okay? And I can say that to you because I am one. I got a chill, all right? Like I said, this word is for me, but we gotta bring it down. There's a reason why we're controlling, by the way.
00;10;44;06 - 00;11;03;26
All of those who feel controlled by us. First of all, we're really sorry. It was really our upbringing. It was the way that our parents didn't raise us and we had to control. We had to parent them, right? Right. We had to figure it out. We had to do things. We were responsible. But now we know. Blessed are the meek that wait, there is a new strategy here.
00;11;03;27 - 00;11;16;04
There is blessing. There is blessing for those that release and surrender control. Meekness is what is grown in a soul that is stopped pretending to be God.
00;11;16;07 - 00;11;37;28
This is a Sabbath. You guys know that this is the Lord's day, that he gave you this day of rest so that you could, like, take off your God hat and that you could know that today, May 31st, God is fixing your problems while you are resting. He's working. So please, for the love of God, could you rest so that you give room to God to deal with your issues?
00;11;38;00 - 00;12;01;17
Right? To handle your employees? To deal with the things outside of you? God is at work. This is the hardest thing for me to learn that God loves me so much that he's working on my staff employees, he's working on my budget. He's working on all the things I don't know how to fix. We have to surrender. See, it's a posture of someone who says, God, I do not have to control the room.
00;12;01;24 - 00;12;24;08
I do not have to control the narrative. I do not have to win every argument. I know. I know that hurts. And I trust you with my life. I trust you with my life. Can you say that and mean it? This is the work of discipleship. This is the work of the spirit in us when we can wake up every day.
00;12;24;08 - 00;12;51;02
I live with a husband that is like joyful every morning. He's he's such a happy. I think I'm happy. But no, like he's really happy and he does not worry. He was raised on the mission field. He was raised as a missionary kid. He loves adventure. He does not raise one heart beat when anything. There's no heart rate change when there's anything a fear.
00;12;51;05 - 00;13;09;28
I love it and I hate it at the same time. I'm like, don't you care? Aren't you upset? Don't we need to do something? But he's so trust God. And I've learned after 32 years that I can trust God to, you know, can I just say be around people that trust God? They might annoy you. They might challenge you.
00;13;09;29 - 00;13;18;07
They may feel like they are minimizing what you're going through. But I'm going to tell you there's something to be said for surrender.
00;13;18;09 - 00;13;37;26
But many of us grew up and we had to learn to survive. I want to honor those in the room today that grew up with childhoods that were. You were on stress alert from day one. This whole passage is so difficult to process, and it's hard to not embrace it as like, this is so weak, this isn't me.
00;13;37;26 - 00;14;00;21
And also, if I make who's going to do the work, I get it, I get it. But let me encourage you we're not kids anymore. We made it. You survived. But let me tell you this. What got you here is not going to get you there. You've going to have to change your patterns to get all God has for you to be blessed.
00;14;00;21 - 00;14;24;23
And Pastor Caleb talked about, blessed is thriving. It is. It is above and beyond. It is. It is so beyond happiness. It is that God's got you, that you can absolutely thrive, that you. This is an idea that is hard to understand for a lot of us, is that you are favored by God, that you are his favorite, that he is like on your side, like he he wakes up happy.
00;14;24;24 - 00;14;57;11
Not that he wakes up, who knows? But he's like, you're my girl. You're my man. You're my you're my guy. He you are favored. But guess what? We've got to be meek. We've got to live into the way he structured life. This is a condition of being blessed is meekness. Your pastor also said that this blessing is a future promise, that not only can you be blessed here, I know it's hard to imagine that you can live in the upset without being upset.
00;14;57;13 - 00;15;13;21
But that you also have a reward coming. In fact, I want you to know that God has your back right now. You've come in. Some of you have come in with a lot of burden, that there are risks, that you feel slandered, you feel overwhelmed, you feel like misrepresented. You may have things happening financially that are so scary to you.
00;15;13;23 - 00;15;37;24
Can I say something that's going to be so maybe irritating for some of you? Trust the Lord, trust the Lord. He has your back. See, meekness means gentle, humble, not controlled by anger or ego. See, our ego wants to rise to the challenge to do the things in the ancient world. The word for meek was used to describe strength, had been trained like a horse that had been bridled.
00;15;38;01 - 00;16;02;06
The strength was still there, but it was directed. How many of you need to be bridled? How many of you need to be pruned from being yourself? You know, I've been pruned and I'm still being pruned. See, meekness is power under control. Listen to this. It is not weakness. It is not avoidance. It's not being a doormat. It is not pretending something didn't hurt you and it is not refusing to speak the truth.
00;16;02;08 - 00;16;26;16
In fact, Jesus uses the same words to describe himself in Matthew 11 take my yoke upon you. He says, take the way I live upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and lonely. In that Greek is meek and heart, and you will find rest for your souls. See, Jesus was meek, not weak. And this is what I love about Jesus, and what culture tries to tell us that Jesus was passive.
00;16;26;17 - 00;16;55;21
He just took punches. He just didn't have a spine. That is absolutely not true. He confronted religious hypocrisy. He was like in their faces, calmly, but he challenged. He turned over tables. I love that. I love someone who's going to take charge and challenge. He did that. He was offended by people exchanging money in his father's house. No, it was a place of worship, not money.
00;16;55;23 - 00;17;12;24
He turned over tables. He cast out demons. He saw the hurt and he took it. He had so much authority. He. He sent them to the foot of the cross. Do you know that you and I have that authority, by the way? He's given us authority that we can confront things. I do it all day long. I'm a therapist in a counseling room, and I know when there is demonic influence.
00;17;12;28 - 00;17;36;13
And guess what? I can handle it. I can deal with it. I can work with my client also to gain the authority over those things. Why not? Because I'm powerful. Not because, well, I'm obviously not tall and, you know, formidable in stature. But I'm rooted in Jesus. And by the name of Jesus, every thing will bow. So we have this authority.
00;17;36;14 - 00;17;57;03
We have to recognize that meekness is not weakness. Meekness is power under control. He also endured the cross. He endured pain with stoicism, with repentance, with forgiveness. How many military or law enforcement in the room? First of all, thank you for what you do. Thank you. We honor you. But stoicism is something that has been trained in you.
00;17;57;10 - 00;18;02;04
Yeah. Let's honor them.
00;18;02;06 - 00;18;33;10
We honor you. We honor you. You face incredible threat disorders, incredible tragedy. But you've learned to stand strong. But I guarantee you, a lot of you struggle inside because it has to go somewhere. Jesus was not only strong on the outside, he was strong on the inside. He still had feelings. But this is where we have to recognize that meekness is strength under control and all of our like, civil servants.
00;18;33;10 - 00;18;44;04
Thank you for your meekness, your strength under control. Jesus also forgave his enemies. That's hard, I love revenge.
00;18;44;06 - 00;19;03;17
Don't you love my favorite movies, Count of Monte Cristo? Don't you want to count them on a crystal moment? Chateau de, you own it now. I know I love it, but Jesus forgave his enemies. But you know what? Jesus is about it. Because he's coming back and he will have his moment. He has his moment every day. In fact, he has his moment in your life.
00;19;03;17 - 00;19;22;14
And I believe that there is a moment coming from many of you where you will be vindicated. But you have to trust the Lord, power under control, knowing he's got your back. He loves bringing justice to then just he loves it. He loves turning the tables. I always pray, Lord, Lord, bring justice for your glory. Right? I like it too.
00;19;22;14 - 00;19;44;10
But Lord, for your glory, let let the people know that you win. Jesus also stood silent before accusation. He knew who he was and he didn't let it affect his ego. Jesus had all authority, but he never used his power to protect his ego. The meek will inherit the earth. This is what's powerful means to receive an inheritance.
00;19;44;10 - 00;20;05;09
This is not something we seize. It's something we're given. Counterculture, right? Wait wait wait. I can't imagine not having to take for myself. I can't imagine having. Not having to survive. I cannot imagine having to work for what is mine. Jesus says I love you. You're my kids and I've already given you an inheritance. I don't know about you, but I don't want to miss the promise.
00;20;05;12 - 00;20;25;16
I don't want to miss the promise. See, an executive leadership calmness now has become the new superpower. Because meekness is not weakness, its power under control. I don't know, I love like movies, I love pop culture. I don't know if you've ever heard about one of the most famous directors in Hollywood is also one of the most intimidating.
00;20;25;18 - 00;20;53;07
And many actors will say it, and it's Clint Eastwood. Now, Clint Eastwood is known to be the most intimidating Hollywood director. Not because he yells, not because he's forceful, not because he disparages actors is because he says very few words. Tom Hanks says he's as scary as the fiery place down there. Wow. But he doesn't emote. He is power under control.
00;20;53;09 - 00;21;20;27
And in a world addicted to outrage, revenge, self-defense. Jesus offers another way quite authority, holy restraint, a deep trust. Do you believe that God has your back? I would say it, but I don't think I ever believed it. I didn't know any other way than fighting for me and the people around me. Anyone relate? I couldn't imagine I felt like if I let go and let God, I somehow was being irresponsible with my part.
00;21;21;04 - 00;21;46;08
Oh my gosh, I've learned a whole new way. Leonardo da Vinci said this nothing strengthens authority so much as silence. And A.W. Tozer reminds us that the meek man will attain a place of soul rest because he is content to let God defend him. Wow. What would it look like to enjoy your Sabbath knowing that God is fighting your battles?
00;21;46;08 - 00;22;17;22
Anyone need that? Today you can trust the Lord. Maybe you're currently facing injustice. Slander someone is false witness against you. Maybe you felt bullied, maybe somebody wronged you or stole something from you. People do it all the time. Ask God to defend you. Ask God to repay you for what was stolen. Do what's right, however, and speak the truth.
00;22;17;22 - 00;22;38;10
But let God bring the justice. Many of you are waiting for an answer. Let God fight your battle. Worship. Trust him. Know that you have a father that loves you and loves to give good gifts, but make sure you're in good standing with God. See, sometimes we want the benefits of God, but we don't want to live for God.
00;22;38;11 - 00;22;55;04
We don't want to live like God. See, Pastor Caleb talked about two weeks ago that this is to bring us closer to Jesus. Like like a child. Like clinging to him. How many have you been? Desperate? I, I want to be desperate for God when I'm desperately in trouble. But I also want to be desperate when I'm doing well.
00;22;55;07 - 00;23;21;14
I want to be so close to him that I'm like, God, I know you have my back and you have good things, and I want to be in good relationship with you. This is the power of meekness, a soul so anchored to God that it does not need to dominate, prove or retaliate. As Isaac Walton beautifully wrote. God has two dwellings, one in heaven and the other in a meek and thankful heart.
00;23;21;16 - 00;23;41;18
The meek will inherit the earth. See, meekness in the Old Testament is out of Psalm 3437. In fact, Matthew five echoes it, but the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. How many of us need peace in this anxious world? You know what? Peace is the new sign and wonder. I have a friend that said that to me once.
00;23;41;19 - 00;24;00;14
Peace is a new sign and wonder. I was like, wow, that's a book. I was like, you should write that book. If you have peace in this world, you are a wonder. But guess what? It's so available to us, you guys. It's like right here. Psalm 37 is written to people who are tempted to be angry because evil seems to be winning.
00;24;00;15 - 00;24;28;03
The psalm says, we need this and we need to hear this. Okay, listen, I want you guys to internalize this. Fret not because of your evildoers. Fret not. Chill. They are evil. But we need to chill. Trust in the Lord. Commit your way to the Lord. Do what's right. Be still before the Lord. Refrain from anger. The meek shall inherit the land.
00;24;28;06 - 00;24;38;25
Meekness refuses to let evil determine the inner world. Meekness says, I will not let what is wrong around me make me wrong within me.
00;24;38;28 - 00;25;03;07
Okay, this is getting into the core of our personhood. The future belongs to those who trust God enough to be formed, to be formed. I want to transition here into meekness and emotional regulation. This is where meekness connects deeply with our mental and emotional health, which we know we're in a crisis. Would you say that many of us have not do not have a meekness problem?
00;25;03;07 - 00;25;28;04
First, we have a nervous system problem. We have a nervous system problem. We have a physical problem. We have a process pain problem. We have a trauma response problem. We have an exhaust problem. We have a burnout problem when we are afraid, when we are tired, when we are shamed and overwhelmed, we become reactive. I want you to be honest with yourself right now.
00;25;28;04 - 00;25;59;11
How do you react when you are angry, upset? Overwhelmed? Burned out? What is your first response? Do you fight? Do you flee? Do you freeze? Do you shut down? Do you start people pleasing? Do you explain? Do you over? Explain. Do withdraw. Do you become sarcastic? Do you become controlling? We all do it. Did you name yours? Now you have to know.
00;25;59;11 - 00;26;24;22
You don't have to tell me. But you have to be honest with yourself. Because this isn't what we might call discernment. Some of us call what we feel conviction. Some of it we call leadership. Some of what we call just being honest. Let me tell you, a lot of these reactions are our natural reactions, our responses, our nervous system responding to the trauma of our past.
00;26;24;22 - 00;26;50;27
And this is where discipleship comes into place. Listen to James chapter one. This is so powerful. You guys let every person he says this be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Wow. This is emotional regulation language before modern psychology ever named it. Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
00;26;50;27 - 00;27;14;00
Who is being convicted right now? Can I get it, Aymen? This is a regulated disciple right here. Meekness is not just a personality trait, you guys. It is a spiritual discipline. Take that in. This is part of being formed as a believer. It asks. It asks us the hard questions. Can I pause before I react? Can I listen before I defend?
00;27;14;01 - 00;27;35;28
Can I tell the truth without attacking? Can I feel anger without being ruled by anger? Can I be hurt and still be holy? Can I be strong and still be gentle? See, I loved anger. How many of you love anger? Anger feels so good if it makes you be bold. In fact, I was ruled by it for so many years of my life.
00;27;36;00 - 00;27;57;15
At 16 years old, my dad died at 14. He was diagnosed with cancer, and I'm the firstborn. So on my own, right. Two other siblings. I learned how to navigate life very quickly. And I remember as clear as day, the day that I decided, I'm telling you, this is what we do as children. We're really smart. We do what we can in the moment.
00;27;57;15 - 00;28;18;22
I knew you're on your own. Figure it out. Take charge. No one's coming to save you. You know all those those. Those reels are saying my mom's coming to save me. No, that's didn't relate to me. Now my daughter can say, my mom's coming to save me. I will come to save her. But I didn't have that. So I had to learn how to survive.
00;28;18;24 - 00;28;44;28
So anger became my friend. Fear became my friend. It fueled me. But you know what? It gave me a dysregulated soul, a chronically offended heart. I became an anxious leader and a wounded person that would punish others. Guilty. Anyone with me? This is what happens. It's not your fault, but it's our responsibility. See, Jesus invites us into healing.
00;28;44;28 - 00;29;06;03
Galatians five says, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Jesus Christ has been crucified, the flesh and its passions and desires. See, I had to grow up. I had to grow up and let the body of Christ has helped me.
00;29;06;04 - 00;29;26;01
My husband has helped me. Project church is here to help us grow into maturity so that we can let go and let God. Mel Robbins bestselling book They'll Let Them theory. How many of you read it? Okay, guys, we really do have problems. We have got to let go and let God. But this book is so helpful. Her basic idea is simple.
00;29;26;02 - 00;29;48;24
When people misunderstand you, when they reject you and leave you, or choose differently than you'd hoped. What do we do? Let them. Okay. Let them. Let them sup. Giving away your peace. Trying to manage what you cannot control. This is meekness in a culture that says repost, prove, defend and win. Jesus says, blessed are the who, the meek.
00;29;48;26 - 00;30;12;10
Let me be really clear what meekness is not. It's not silence in the face of harm. It does not mean mean. Tolerating abuse does not mean ignoring injustice. Staying in unsafe situations. It does not mean that we should avoid accountability. It does not mean that victims should be quiet. Jesus was meek, but he told the truth. Meekness is not the absence of boundaries.
00;30;12;11 - 00;30;37;07
It's the spirit in which we hold them. So what we can say is this. No, we can say that's not okay. We can say, I need help. SOS, we can say this conversation needs to pause. I did that recently. I said if we if we if this conversation doesn't change, then we're going to have to end this conversation.
00;30;37;09 - 00;30;58;23
I was so proud of myself. I didn't have to yell, raise my voice, but I did set a boundary. How about I forgive you? But trust will need to be rebuilt. How about I love you? But I will not participate in this discussion. Power under control. This is emotional health. Some of you need to become therapists, by the way.
00;30;58;26 - 00;31;21;27
Some of our pastors need to become therapists in helping professionals. Some of our moms and dads. Because this work is so important. By the way, we have a master's in counseling. Matt. Matt, one of the pastors here is in the program. It's doing amazing. But immediately as a pastor, he was like, this is so relevant. I want you to see the integration of the Word of God, spiritual disciplines, but also mental health.
00;31;21;29 - 00;31;43;20
It's all connected because God is that good. He is that smart. Meekness is deeply related to trust, because meekness is what happens when I stop trying to control what only God can carry. There's an amazing example in Scripture about David refusing to kill Saul. I love this. If you guys saw the film called David, it's so good. But David is in the cave with Saul in first Samuel 24.
00;31;43;20 - 00;32;02;26
Now David was the anointed king, but he was young, and so he had to wait a long time. Now Saul was the king in charge of the time, and he was being corrupted. And David loves Saul. David helps all. But David turned on. Saul turned on David when he found out that he was thought he was going to be king.
00;32;02;26 - 00;32;24;04
So Saul had been hunting David, trying to kill him. David was on the run. He had every reason to feel betrayed, offended and angry, and saw unknowingly enters the very cave where David and his men were hiding. David's men were basically saying, bro. This is your moment. God has delivered your enemy into your hands right now. Take him out.
00;32;24;10 - 00;32;48;06
David had the power. He had the opportunity. He had the justification. David had people even encouraging him to act out. But guess what? That's what happened. David refused to kill Saul. Instead, this is what David says. I will not put out my hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord's anointed. Wow. That is meekness. Not because David was weak.
00;32;48;08 - 00;33;10;11
David was a warrior, you guys. But he'd already killed Goliath. He knew how to fight. But in that moment, God trusted God more than he trusted revenge. He trusted restraint. He chose to render it. He chose to let God be the judge. God is your judge, and justice will be served. I promise you that David did not take the throne by violence in the cave.
00;33;10;12 - 00;33;29;15
He trusted God to give it in his time. See, God has a perfect time. Do you trust him with his timing? He is the master chess player. Do not mess up his game. Do not create an Ishmael. Do not listen. I am the biggest activator and I have made a lot of messes. And my husband's had to clean up a lot of them.
00;33;29;20 - 00;33;50;25
I love him, he's so great. He loves me. He thinks I'm awesome. But I do create a lot of work for him. But listen, if I get in line with God, life would be so much easier. So I want to teach you. As we close, I want to address some parts of you and some practices of weakness that I think are some tools that can help you in really entering into this discipline of meekness.
00;33;50;26 - 00;34;20;16
Number one, I want you to pause before you react. Say a simple prayer when you begin to elevate your nervous system and you start to freeze or flee or fight, say, Holy Spirit, govern. My response? Meekness often begins in the space between stimulus and response. You have a moment. You have one second. So pause before react. Number two name what is hiding and happening inside you.
00;34;20;18 - 00;34;48;17
Ask yourself, what am I feeling? What is triggering me? Is this moment about me, my past an old wound? Am I responding to reality or to fear? What is this reminding of? Is it my childhood? Is it that moment on the playground? Is it my dad walking out? My mom leaving? You cannot surrender. What you refuse to name.
00;34;48;20 - 00;35;18;00
Number three. Choose curiosity over accusation instead of you. Always. You never. I know exactly what you meant. Try. Help me understand. What did you mean by that? Tell me more. I want to respond well. Curiosity is often the doorway of peace. And number four, get support when your actions are bigger than the moment. That's what I love about moment church.
00;35;18;00 - 00;35;44;16
You have people. You can phone a friend you can talk to, a counselor, a pastoral care person, a wise community support group. Sometimes you just need a nap, but do what you need to get your nervous system regulated. Amen. Mental health is not opposed to spiritual maturity. In fact, mental health is spiritual maturity. And there is a great promise, you guys, that we will inherit the earth.
00;35;44;19 - 00;36;15;08
We will inherit, and God wants to give it to us. We don't need to use people or dominate, but we can recognize this upside down kingdom has some secret sauce. And if we do it, you guys, if we intend this today. Guess what? Your Monday morning is going to be very different. I believe there are miracles on the way for each of you that when you begin opposite action and you say, Lord, I'm going to do it your way, you're going to see God show up very quickly in your life.
00;36;15;10 - 00;36;42;18
Jesus is bringing us to a point of invitation. So maybe our prayer today is this Jesus, make me strong enough to be gentle. Jesus heal what keeps reacting in me. Jesus, help me to pause. Jesus, help me tell the truth and love. And Lord, give me power under control for meekness in me. Some of you are exhausted. Some of you are living, offended, and reactive.
00;36;42;21 - 00;37;12;14
Do not let the seed of bitterness grow. Release it today. Some of you have been confused that meekness is weakness and you need the courage to be gentle. Some of you need a defender right now. God is fighting for you. Get out of the way and worship instead of. You need a safe place. And this is it. I'm going to have you close your eyes for a minute, and I'm going to read a.
00;37;12;16 - 00;37;35;29
Closing statement. And I wish I could give credit to where it's to. But the credit today is going to be Facebook because I found it there. Thank God for Facebook. But I want you to to internalize this before we pray. Close your eyes. It's about the eagle and I want you to imagine this eagle is on the ground and it has a snake coiled around it, the life out of it.
00;37;36;00 - 00;37;56;13
Some of you feel suffocated right now in life, and you want to just gain that power back. But listen to this. The eagle does not fight the snake on the ground. It picks it up into the sky and changes the battleground. And then it releases a snake into the sky. The snake has no stamina, no power, no balance in the air.
00;37;56;17 - 00;38;24;04
It is useless, weak and vulnerable, unlike on the ground, where it is powerful, wise and deadly. Take your fight into the spiritual realm by praying and then you are in the spiritual realm. When you are there, God takes over your battles. Don't fight the enemy in the comfort zone. Change the battleground like the eagle and let God take charge through your earnest prayer.
00;38;24;07 - 00;38;49;17
Feel sure you will be assured a clean victory. Lord, we take our battle into the air. We flip the script. Lord, we surrender to being a meek people. Lord, where we are in control. Lord! Release it. Help us to fight your way. And God, may your kingdom come as earth on earth as it is in heaven. Lord, let us be inheritors.
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Let us be blessed because we did it your way. And all God's people said, Amen and amen. God bless you. Project church.
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Chrissy Cole
Thank you for being a part of our online community here at Project Church.
00;39;07;20 - 00;39;11;01
Chrissy Cole
We hope that this message and the whole service bless your life.
00;39;11;04 - 00;39;27;09
Caleb Cole
Yeah. And if it did, we want to ask that you would do something for us. First of all, if you're not already subscribed to our YouTube channel, be sure to subscribe. Like this video. But also, we would ask that you would consider financially supporting what God is doing through Project Church. You can give in a variety of ways.
00;39;27;12 - 00;39;42;18
Caleb Cole
You can text project to 97,000. Right now. You can give to our Church Center app, or you can give on our website project church.com/give. Thanks so much for being a part of our online community. And once again God bless you guys. We'll see you soon.