Protect Your Peace

56:27 This is the word of God for the people of God. You may be seated, family. Do me a favor. Play preacher. Lean over to your neighbor. Give him the subject of the sermon. Tell him, neighbor, oh neighbor, whatever you do, protect your peace. Anthony Dillard, it may not be a surprise to you to find out that the thoroughbred horse racing in the United States is a multi-billion dollar industry. Some of you may have heard of the Triple Crown races of the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes, and I know you've heard of the Kentucky Derby. You may know those three, but Theron, what you may not know is that annually in the United States there are over 30,000 horse races a year.

57:31 In those 30,000 races, $11.3 billion was wagered by folk trying to make a little money. Don't look at nobody. The thoroughbred horse racing industry employs, Madam Chair, 2.2 million people every year. And when you add up breeding and boarding, feeding and farming, transportation and tourism, that industry annually generates $177 billion a year. thoroughbred horses Deacon Easter can cost upwards of 10 million dollars each with that high investment it's no wonder that owners of thoroughbreds not only ensure them but higher security to watch over them because that 10 million dollars can generate billions for them those horses are highly protected what you may not know is that thoroughbred horses are social animals. They get very anxious when they're isolated and alone, and thoroughbred horses cannot sleep peacefully by themselves. So owners have found that in order to help a thoroughbred get sleep so a thoroughbred can race, watch what they do. They put goats in the stall with the horse.

59:01 Because the goat helps the horse rest, which allows the horse to race. Because thoroughbreds don't sleep well by themselves, so they've learned to put goats in the stall because the sound and presence of the goat brings the horse peace, which allows the horse to rest so the horse can race. Are you still with me?

59:23 Back in 1912, there was a famous thoroughbred named Priest Regent who was in Buffalo to run a high-stakes race. And a man who wagered against Prince Regent wanted to interfere with the race so he could make money. Lauren, his first thought was to get to the horse and damage or handicap the horse, but he couldn't get to the horse because the owner had too much security around the horse. So since he couldn't affect the horse, you know what he did? he stole the goat because he knew the goat was necessary for the horse to have peace and if the horse couldn't rest the horse couldn't race so he stole the unprotected goat the next day prince regent lost the race because his goat had been stolen that's where the cliche someone stole your goat came from.

1:00:24 And ever since that day, owners now understand the value not only of the horse, but of the goat. They insure the goat as well as the horse, and they hire security to watch over the goat because they realize if we don't protect peace, the horse cannot perform.

1:00:47 You're a little slow. you think I'm talking about horse racing. In order to run your race and perform to your highest possibility and potential, you've got to value peace and learn how to protect that which brings you peace because if you're not at peace, you cannot perform. You've got to learn to protect your peace. And if somebody next to you was clapping and saying amen, they are a mature saint. Because when you mature in life, you reach a place where the most valuable thing in your life is not money, it's not notoriety. Baby girl, brother man, it's being at peace. Ain't nothing like laying your head down at night and getting a good night of sleep. Ain't nothing like waking up in the morning not being worried about what the day is going to bring. Are there any grown folk here today who know the value of just being at peace?

1:01:54 Now, if you're not clapping, you might be millennial-minded. Because when you're young, you don't really know the value of peace. My oldest son is home 22, Ducey's home for the Hampton Howard game. Thank you.

1:02:23 And he's at home this weekend. And after the game, he came home and we're sitting talking. He says to me, Dad, I'm going out tonight. So where are you going? He said, I'm going over to the park. I said, well, watch yourself. He left the house at 11. I said I wish I would Because when you mature in life, if we ain't going by seven, I ain't leaving. Ain't nothing fun about waking up tired and having to go to work. I like laying on my couch, watching Law and Order, and going to bed by 9.15. Thorpe, he walked in the house at 3.30. And I got up to talk to him because I wanted to smell him.

1:03:25 Walked to the house at 3.30 I said, well, I guess you ain't coming to 8 o'clock service, huh? If you're young, you probably still argue with folk and go back and forth with them to prove you're right about something. But when you get a little bit older, you ain't going to lose your peace arguing with nobody. I'm content to let you think what you want to think. You can be as wrong as two left shoes. I am not going to disturb my peace trying to prove myself to you. When you're young, you probably get disrespected, get in your car and replay it and think about what you should have said in the moment. When you get mature like I am, I'm too grown to be emotionally constipated.

1:04:26 I'm going to tell you what I think. I'm going to say what I want to say. You're going to listen to it. You ain't got to like it. But I ain't gonna lose an ounce of sleep wondering what I should have told you when you disrespected me I am clear on when something is not my problem. And you can take this one for free. I don't carry bags out in pack. If that's your problem, you carry it. You are not going to disturb my peace. I am too proficient at blocking a Negro for you to think you're going to wake me up and blow my phone up. I will block you in a minute. because there's nothing as valuable as being at peace. And the same way horse owners have learned to protect the goat that brings peace, God has given you an assignment today to learn to protect your peace.

1:05:35 Hear me, beloved. Your enemy can never destroy your gift. They can never cancel God's assignment. They can't abort the place that God has prepared where your gift is supposed to take you. The Bible says your gift makes room for you. The devil can't mess with your gift, and he can't cancel your place. But what he can do, and what he tries to do every day, is disturb your peace.

1:06:07 Have you ever been there? Have you ever been on the brink of something big and beautiful in your life? And the night before, the day before, something or somebody comes into your world with some mess that disturbs your peace and affects your ability to perform at the highest level when you needed to be at your best. You lost sleep the night before. Your mind was disturbed. You were arguing on your way to the meeting. Has the devil ever tried to disturb your peace? Protecting your peace is all Paul is trying to say to us as we read this letter he writes to the Philippians. The year is somewhere between 60 and 62 AD. Paul is in jail in Rome. He's under chains for Jesus Christ.

1:07:02 He is now in jeopardy of losing his life. and while our brother Paul is in jail he's visited by a brother named Epaphroditus Epaphroditus comes to Paul and he's got a love offering that the Christians in Philippi have raised for Paul because Paul was their pastor he founded and established that church on his second missionary journey that you can read about in Acts chapter 16 and these Philippians knowing that their pastor is in jail, have raised a love offering to put five on his commissary. And when Epaphroditus comes with the love offering, he brings Paul word about what's happening in Philippi. He says the Christians there are under persecution for their faith in Jesus.

1:08:00 And so unlike any other letter that Paul writes where Paul is trying to fix a problem, the letter to the Philippian church is different because Paul only writes for two reasons. He's not trying to fix anything. In that four chapters, he thanks them for their love offering, and he tries to encourage their faith. This is a love letter of encouragement. So Paul writes to them and says to them in the opening verses, I thank God for you every time I remember you so that they know he's special to them. He reminds them that God is faithful. when he says to them in the book of Philippians, he who has begun a good work in you will perform it to the day of Jesus Christ. He teaches them how to live their life when he says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not think it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no avail and came in the form of a bond servant and became obedient to death, even the death on the cross.

1:09:03 Teach the Bible, Howard John. he reminds them in the book of Philippians not to be stressed out about earthly temporary presidential powers says because we've got a savior named Jesus and God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus demons in hell presidents in the White House, scared senators, sold out justices will bow at the name of Jesus. Vanessa, he gives them some good advice on how to live. In chapter 4, he tells them, put away those things which are behind and press towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And then here in this fourth chapter, in the sixth verse, some of the most powerful instruction of life you can ever read.

1:10:06 be anxious for nothing don't stress don't lose sleep don't let it stay on your mind don't be worried about it don't get bent out of shape Paul says be anxious for nothing Paul ain't got a degree in psychology or psychiatry but he knew something about anxiety. And I'm willing to bet so do you. Everybody in here has had some anxious moments in life.

1:10:49 You've had a moment where you wondered how things were going to work out. You've had a moment when you worried about what the day was going to bring. You had a morning that you didn't want to get out of bed because you knew what was coming down the road. There was a night you could not sleep because your mind would not let your body rest knowing what was at stake in your life. Everybody in here has had some sweaty palms and some upset stomachs when anxiety grabbed a hold of you. And here come Paul with the unmitigated gall and audacity to tell you not to be anxious about anything. Paul, when life be lifing, anxiety is almost inevitable.

1:11:41 And the word of Paul to you is, I'm not saying that there aren't reasons to be anxious. What he's saying is, I've got something for your anxiety. I've got something for those moments when you worry. I've got something to prescribe you when you are upset. it's not Xanax it's not Cymbalta it's not Zoloft it's not Ativan I got something better than Jack Daniels I got something that'll help you more than that Mary Jane He said, when you're anxious, when you're worried, when you're troubled, when you're stressed out, when you're bent out of shape, I got a prescription for you. It's called the peace of God.

1:12:40 Hear me. It's not the peace of money. because there are going to be some things in your life money will not solve. It's not the peace from celebrity. You're going to run up on some stuff, and it doesn't matter how many folk know your name. It's not the peace from power on your job. You're going to come across some stuff, and it doesn't care what your title is. I don't know who I preached to earlier this morning, but what you need most in life you will not find in a bottle or a blunt. You will not find it with a new bag on your arm or in somebody's bed. You will not get it with something from the bank or with a new Benz in your driveway. What you need, brother man, baby girl, can only come from God. There's some stuff you need you will not get till you are in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. There's some stuff you will not have until you learn to walk by faith and not by sight.

1:13:39 There's some stuff you will not receive until you learn to call on the name of the Lord every day of your life. God has something for you that only God can give you. True peace only comes from God. And Paul says, and when you see it, it will surpass all understanding. You know what that means? It ain't going to make no sense. The word surpass literally means to not fit. Watch what Paul says. The peace of God that God wants to give you, when you see it, it will not fit where you found it.

1:14:25 In other words, it doesn't belong where you see it. You're going to experience it and wonder why it's there. It's like seeing a Louis Vuitton bag at a Chanel store It doesn't fit It's like seeing a Tesla at a gas station Something is wrong It's like somebody serving you grits with salt and pepper It's just wrong. Here's how you know it's the peace of God, because it doesn't fit. Okay, you know, you're feeling me? Have you ever met somebody so calm that you wondered if they really understood what they were going through? Have you ever had somebody get bad news and they smiled anyway?

1:15:23 you ever known somebody lose their job and just say oh well god must have something better in store for me down the road you ever had somebody have a loved one walk away and they said now may the lord watch between me and thee while we're absent one from another have you ever had the peace of god where you were calm when you should have been upset that you were cool when you should have lost your mind that you were sane when you should have been crazy that you had joy even when you were walking through hell that's why folk don't understand how you shout every Sunday in church because they think they know something about you and they can't understand how you could go through that Monday through Friday and show up in church with your hands lifted thanking God for who God is That doesn't make any sense. God says, that's all I want to give you.

1:16:22 A peace from me that confuses other folk. And it will guard your heart and mind. Deagly O'Brucks, that word guard, it's a military term. It means to prevent a hostile takeover. Here's what Paul's saying to you. Every day, your peace is under attack. Come here, come here, come here. Every day, the devil wakes somebody up to get on your nerves. You just thought of your coworker, right? Every day, somebody is under demonic assignment to disturb your peace. Every day, something comes out of 1600.

1:17:24 that's meant to aggravate and irritate you, every day your peace is under attack. So Paul says you got to learn to protect your peace. If you want to live in the fullness of what God has ordained for you, learn to protect your peace. How do you do it? Here's what Paul said. I'm going to give you the steps. Here's the prescription. He begins by saying rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. Somebody holler rejoice.

1:18:00 Now, on the surface, you're going to misread what Paul is saying. Because when you hear rejoice, you hear praise. And it kind of makes sense. You would think that that would be an instruction to protect your peace is to learn to praise God. But I want to tell you that when Paul says rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice, this is not a commandment to praise the Lord. This is not something out of Psalms like make a joyful noise unto the Lord or let everything that hath breath or I will bless the Lord at all times. That ain't what Paul is saying. To protect your peace, Paul is not saying you got to learn to praise God.

1:18:40 Rejoice in the way that Paul uses it is this Greek term chiro. C-H-A-I-R-O. and Cairo is not a commandment to praise. Well, what is it, Pastor? Cairo, watch this, is a joy-filled salutation or benediction. Huh? Cairo, rejoice, is a way of saying hello or goodbye. So when Paul says rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say rejoice, he's greeting them with joy. Okay, you can catch me. Cairo is when the girlfriends get together and one of them walks in and says, hey girl. When the fellas get together, one of them walks in, what's up?

1:19:41 It's a way of saying hello that is filled with joy. So the folk you talk to, when they meet you, they know you are filled with joy. Now the reason you ain't clap yet, you forgot I just taught y'all. Paul was in jail. His life is on the line. He's facing trumped at false charges.

1:20:10 And yet he writes telling them, I'm filled with joy. he's juxtaposing his situation and their persecution to let them know if I can have joy in jail if I can rejoice when my life is on the line you ought to keep things in perspective and realize that you really ain't got a reason to be stressed out because it could be worse Here's the word of Paul, and I know someone's going to get upset. Say, you got to put your life in proper perspective.

1:20:53 You take things too seriously. You're too sensitive. You need to learn to laugh. You need to learn to relax. You ever met folk that just wound up too tight? You ever met folk just mad all the time? Got a bad attitude every day? Paul said, no, you ought to have some joy of the Lord in your life that allows you to just laugh about some things. Shake some stuff off. Smile every now and then. Be happy about what's happening in your world. You got to learn to relax a little bit, baby boy. You got to learn to loosen up, sister. You got learn to shake some stuff off So watch what he says. Here, I'm going to help you.

1:21:45 Whatever things are true, noble, just, of a good report, focus on those. Okay, you missed it. If it's good, of a good report, true, just, honest, noble, think on these things. Here's the reason your peace is disturbed. You give too much attention to stuff that don't deserve your attention

1:22:12 Stop letting petty little folk mess up your day stop waking up watching the news every morning. You know he lying Stop reading all the comments on social media stop hanging out with negative folk Stop listening to all the rumors and lies that are spreading out there. You're focused on the wrong thing And I came by on a Sunday morning to tell you some stuff don't deserve your attention. Some people don't deserve your time. Some nonsense doesn't deserve your mental capacity. You have to make a decision in this life that there's some stuff I'm not going to focus on. I'm not going to think about. I'm not going to carry when I go to bed. I'm not going to walk with this all day long. I am not focused on that stuff. And watch what he says.

1:23:08 He says it twice. Pay attention when the Bible says something twice. He says, rejoice in the Lord. And again, I say rejoice. Because remember, it's a greeting and a benediction. It's a hi and a goodbye. So when Paul says it twice, watch what he says. I'm greeting you with joy. And when I leave, I'm going to have joy. Okay, you missed. I'm starting with joy and when it's over I'm going to have the same joy I'm going to begin my day with joy and I'm going to end my day with joy because I made a decision that I ain't going to let no demon in hell, no devil on earth take the joy that God has given me if this was an old school Baptist church, I tell you this joy I had The world didn't give it, and I'm not going to let the world take it away. Touch somebody, tell them, hold on to your joy.

1:24:13 He says, rejoice. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, pray. Somebody holler, pray. Let me tell you, you ain't got no Baptists in you if you didn't see this one coming. Because one thing you ought to know how to do as a child of God is pray. I don't know who needs to be encouraged to this today, but I came by to tell you prayer still works. Prayer changes everything. Prayer will move mountains. Prayer will restore relationships. Prayer will heal bodies. I'm sorry, maybe you've never prayed, but I'm looking for some folk in this sanctuary who've ever knelt down on your knees. And with all that you had, you put something in the hand of God and trusted God to have God's way. And the Lord, didn't he answer that thing?

1:25:10 Didn't he fix that thing? Didn't he move on that thing? Prayer still works. And anybody who tells you prayer done work ain't never really prayed. Let me prove my point. Paul says pray. Then he says make supplication. He separates prayer from supplication. He said we're going to get to the supplication. Supplication, that's the asking part. But he says before you ask, you got to pray. Not a reason that messed you up. You thought prayer and supplication were the same thing. and what causes so many of us to lose peace is that your prayer life is deficient here's the way you pray, you ready? you bow your head, Lord fix this, do that, heal that, move on this bless me with that, bless me indeed, hallelujah, increase my territory God, do this, amen, and then you get up and walk away how would you feel if your friend called you and said I need some money and then hung the phone up Thank you.

1:26:24 You laugh, but that's what some of your prayer life is like. That all you do is bow and ask. And the Lord says, prayer is not about asking me to do something. It's about asking me to be something. God, be with me in this thing. God, be my shield and my salvation. God, be my light and my strong tower. God, be my present help in the time of trouble. How much do you want God when you don't need nothing from God? I need thee. Oh, I need thee every hour. God says I need folk who just want to be in my presence.

1:27:14 God is not some vending machine that you push the button on and you get what you want. Prayer is meant to usher me into the presence of God, to sit with God and talk with God and sense God and hear God talk back to me. somebody holler pray and make supplication here's the good part here's what Paul says and when you learn to sit in God's presence you can ask for whatever you need I told you I'd stop turning my mic off you can ask for whatever you need you can ask God for everything that you need. The Bible says in James chapter 4, we have not.

1:28:17 Oh, you read your Bible because you ask not. Hebrews chapter 4 says, let's come boldly to the throne of God that we might find grace and mercy in time of need. Prayer is not the place to be shy. Prayer is not the time to bite your tongue. Prayer is not the space to be wishy-washy and uncertain. Prayer is when you come boldly to God and declare, God, I need you to do this thing right here.

1:28:51 Theron, I was talking to a sister in church. She's having some struggles, and I asked her the question I ask everybody who comes to me in a time of struggle. If you come to me, you want some pastoral counseling, the first question I'm going to ask you is, how's your prayer life? Because no matter what you're going through, prayer can change it. She said to me, well, you know, Reverend, I didn't want to ask God for too much because I know I haven't been right lately.

1:29:22 And Rosalyn, I sat there, I said, the problem is, you don't ask God for what you're worthy of. you ask God for what he's capable of let me say that again when you pray you don't ask God for what you think you deserve because if God only gave you what you deserve God would not give you anything at all prayer is not about what I deserve it's about what I know he can do And so I ask based upon what I know he's able to do. I ask him for a miracle because I know he's able to work a miracle. I ask him for healing because I know he's able to heal. I ask him to make a way because I know he's a way maker. I ask him for the unthinkable because I know he can do anything but fail.

1:30:24 The year is 2011. Cooper's turning five. And I love me some Alpha Street Baptist Church because y'all love all my children. For Cooper's fifth anniversary, one of the ministries of the church gave him a gift card to Toys R Us for $500. He is five years old. And he has a gift card, Toys R Us for $500. The problem is $500 doesn't mean anything to him. He doesn't understand the magnitude of it. And so I take him to Toys R Us with his brother, put him in the shopping cart, roll him down, he sees the toy he wants. He's got good manners.

1:31:21 He said, Daddy, can I have this? It was $12. I said, son, you can have that. He puts it in the cart, says, okay, I'm ready to go. Deuce hollered at him, no! You can get more than that so he went down the aisle he saw another toy he said daddy can I have that I said you can have that and some we went down another aisle he grabbed another toy daddy can I have this I said son we got $500 you can have that and some we went down another aisle he got another toy daddy can I have this I said son you can have that some because I got $500 in my hand and you can get whatever you want all you got to do is ask can I tell you why you're struggling because you don't recognize that the God you're praying to has the whole world in his hand and you can ask God for whatever you need and whatever you want God can provide it Do me a favor.

1:32:43 Tell somebody to ask for what you need. I got to go, y'all. It's time for Sunday school. We got to go to the table. He says, rejoice in the Lord. In everything, pray. Make your requests known. And then he has two words I don't want you to forget. With Thanksgiving. I'm about to shout myself. With. Thanksgiving. I want you to give thanks. Now it just seems to me that the very reason Paul postulates that we ought to give thanks, because Paul understands no matter what you're going through, no matter what circumstance you face, no matter what your lot in life, you've got a reason to be thankful.

1:33:33 The reason your peace is disturbed is because you don't know how to every now and then pause and look back and identify some of the spaces and places and days and times and seasons where the Lord showed up in your life and did what you did not deserve. And when you learn to look back at where you've been and what God has done, there ought to be something inside of you that starts to bubble up in your spirit and you begin to thank God for what the Lord has done. I need about six folk in Alpha Street who can pause right today and remember your yesterday. and when you think of the goodness of God, when you remember how he made a way when there was no way, when you look back and see that if it had not been for the Lord on your side, I got to thank him because he's been good.

1:34:48 thank him cause he's been kind thank him cause he showed himself strong can I give you a reason to thank God right now number one he woke you up this morning number two he woke you up this morning number three he woke you up this morning number Thank you.