STANDING POWER | CHAD VEACH

0:00 Hey, what's going on, everybody? Thank you so much for listening to this week's message from Zoe Church. Open your Bible and go with me to Galatians chapter 5. We are in part 4 of a series we've been in called Rent Free. The more that Jesus occupies space in our life, the more free we become. We're going to jump in and talk about our fight for freedom. I want to thank every person that gives to and through Zoe. If you'd like to give today, go to our website, click the top right corner, click the give link, and you can give right there to and through our church. We just hosted our pastors gathering this past week. Thank you for your generosity as we were able to refresh, help restore, and help reconnect pastors from all over the world, especially all over our nation. So thank you for your generosity. Let's jump into this week's message called Standing Power.

0:55 All right, let's jump into the Bible. Go to Galatians chapter 5, verse number 1. We have been talking about, we have been in a series about freedom. And I just want to revisit this thought that it's God's plan for your life for you to live in freedom. Remember, the enemy wants you to be in bondage. God wants you to live in freedom. you can never fulfill your potential while living in bondage but you can absolutely walk out God's plan while you live in freedom we've been talking about this idea three things with freedom it is first received it is second learned you learn freedom and then the third thing with freedom is you learn how to fight for it that's what I want to talk about today I want to talk about fighting for your freedom. And I don't know if you're a lover or a fighter.

1:52 Clearly, I'm a lover. State the obvious, Chad. Come on. I don't know. I got a giggle right there. That was a giggle. Straight up. That was a giggle. There's more where that came from. I don't know if you like fighting, but I want to just let you know, this is the thing worth fighting for. Now that God has set you free, can you stay free? It's kind of like money. Once you make money, can you keep money? Once you get free, can you stay free? And it's not God's plan that you have some event, I did 21 days of prayer and fasting, and I got set free. And six months later, I was back to my old life. That's not the plan of God for your life. God wants you to receive it, learn it, and then spend the rest of your life fighting to stay free. I'm not going back to that old life.

2:51 I'm not going back to that old thinking. I'm not going back to that jealousy or that greed. I'm not going back to the cowboys. Heck no. Thank you. I'm fighting to stay free. Every summer we go to the South. We love to go down to Sweet Home, Alabama. And I take my boys out. We have some friends that take our guys out on the lake. And one of my favorite things to do is enter tube. Or let me just say it this way. One of my favorite things to do is watch my kids enter tube. I'm too old for all that now. And my guys will get back there on the tube and they start talking trash to the boat driver. What you got? You can't get us off. And I'm just smiling like, yes, this is about to go down. And they'll be back there. And this guy's just terrorizing the lake.

3:45 He has just gotten them flying in the air. And you should see their little faces. They're holding on for dear life. They're in the air like, oh, we're gonna die. I saw a meme a while back that said, it was like a photo of some people in the inner tube flying and the meme said some of your parents never drove the boat like this and then it said at the bottom and it shows I just love this. This last summer he was driving so crazy, I almost said like, hey man, you know, those are my kids, but one of them talked back that morning, so I was like, let them have it. That's on them. But they are just flying and fighting for their life to stay on the tube. Just want to encourage you in your faith. Freedom ain't easy. You got to receive it.

4:37 You've got to learn it, but you've got to learn how to fight to stay in the life that God designed for your future. it's worth fighting for. It's the good fight. Galatians 5, verse number one, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Don't go back. Don't be burdened again by that old chain, by that old relationship, by that old thinking pact. No, don't be burdened. No, stand firm in the freedom that's in Christ. Write down point number one today. I'm standing because I'm staying.

5:22 The reason why I'm standing so strong is because I have no plans to leave. I have no plans to go back. I have no plans to be who I used to be. Listen, I may not be where I want to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be. I'm in the freedom that's, come on everybody, They clap and thank God. I'm in the freedom that's in Jesus.

5:44 I got no plans to go back to my old life. No, I'm standing because I'm staying. Did you grow up playing this game, King of the Hill? Anybody grow up playing King of the Hill? You know, when you play King of the Hill, you get to the top, you feel so good. You're like, oh, yeah. You get to the top of that thing, and they're trying to grab you. They're trying to hurt you. They're trying to push you off. And, you know, you need strong legs like mine. Okay, okay, I hate you. Thank you. I get it.

6:16 You get this stance, and you're trying to get a base because I'm standing because I have plans of staying here. Now, I want to encourage you in your faith. I know it was free what Jesus did for you, but in order for you to stay in your story, you've got to stand firm in the freedom that's in Christ. Ephesians chapter 6. Look at this scripture. I love this. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. It's going to require everything you got to stand and stay in freedom. I've got to stay in the house of God. I've got to read the word of God. I got to do 21 days of prayer and fasting. I got to get connected in community. I got to join the ZST. I got to have some accountability. I got to get to her night. I got to be involved in brotherhood. I'm doing everything I can to sit because I'm not going back to who I used to be. I'm called to stand in the freedom that's fed. Come on, y'all help me today and clap and thank God. I'm still standing.

7:28 You didn't see the movie sing? I'm still standing. We sing very similar. I'm still standing. Why am I standing? Because I'm staying. You couldn't pay me to go back. I remember what it was like to wake up in the morning and feel shame. I remember what it was like to live duplistic. I remember what it was like to be embarrassed. I'm not going back to my old life. I have plans to live in the freedom that's found in Christ. Oh, I love this so much. Watch this next one. Psalm 37, verse 24. Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. So when I stand in freedom, I'm standing arm in arm with God. Could you imagine when you were growing up playing King of the hill, if you had a couple partners, just you guys are all protecting this together.

8:33 We just had team retreat. We played capture the flag. You should have seen some of these flags having eight people around it. some of us keep thinking that you can stand firm by yourself. No, you need the Lord to stand with you. You need some friends to stand with you. You need some community to stand with you to say, we're going to, come on, clap if you believe it. We're going to stand in freedom together. We're not going back to that old life. I have plans. The reason why I'm standing is because I've got plans to stay. Just a heads up, when we started, we started on August 23rd, 2015, and I'm telling you, we had the best, we started Zoe in a club. but it wasn't about the night that we started when we started our church I started to declare we're going to own a building year one we started to say we're going to own a building because we don't have plans to be here for a short time we're going to be here for a long time we've got plans to stay so I'm standing with my hands up I'm standing arm in arm I'm standing in the grace of God. Why? I'm standing because I'm stained. I've got no plans. I've got no plans of leaving LA. Y'all can leave LA. Y'all can go to Austin, Texas. Bye. Bye.

9:56 which your tax breaks. Like I start saying that, you know? What I wouldn't give. I'm standing. I'm standing strong in my fatherhood with my kids. I'm standing in my marriage. I'm standing in the call of God on my life. Why? Because I don't have plans of leaving. I only have plans of staying. Standing power is staying power. one of my favorite verses it says of jesus that they wanted to throw him off a cliff headlong face first do you know the enemy wants to throw your life off the cliff face first where you crash and burn and your name is a laughing stock and you got all these issues and all these problems he wants everything he can to pull you down no i gotta tell you i don't do squats but once a decade but I'm doing everything I can to stand today. So it's going to take some standing power for you to fight for your freedom. Amen to that? And the second thing it will require, it will require your ability to keep your eyes. Write down number two. I'm keeping my eyes on Jesus.

11:09 So my eyes are not on my feet. My eyes are not on my legs. My eyes are fixed on Jesus, the author and the finisher. My eye is on the prize. My eyes is fixed on Jesus. Oh, I love this scripture. Hebrews chapter 12, verse number two, put it on the screen. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross. He scorned it chain, and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. No, when I'm standing strong, I am simultaneously with my stance of freedom. I'm fixing my eyes on Jesus. I've been saying it here at Zoe for a long time. Get your eyes off of them. Get your eyes on him. Don't get your eyes on what they're doing and where they're going and what they've got in their life and their blessing and their good stuff. And then, no, no, I got, God's writing my story. God's doing something great in my life. I don't want to miss out on the God. I'm fixing my eyes. By the way, we got one last week of 21 days of prayer and fasting. Can we just clap and honor everybody that's been fasting with us? Seven more days. Seven more days. If you haven't, if you haven't been fasting and praying, I want to encourage you, take the next seven days, get your eyes on Jesus. Lord, what do you have for me? Lord, what do you want for me? Lord, what do you want from me? I'm fixing my eyes on Jesus.

12:42 One of my favorite stories in the Bible is when they're out on a boat in the middle of nowhere and they see Jesus coming by. And one of the guys is like, is that? Nah. Is that? Hey, Sue. Is that you? Hey, Sue. It's like, bro, this is crazy. Is that you? Nah. He said, if it's really you, tell me to get off the boat and to walk towards you on the water. Jesus goes, all right, come out here on the water. And the Bible says when he steps out of the boat and he's looking at Jesus, he starts to walk on water until he started to look around at the wind and the waves, he began to sink. So as he kept his eyes locked, he was fine. The moment he started to look at what was going on, he started to sink. That is a picture for our life, that when you keep your eyes on Jesus, come on, you're going to walk in your God-given potential. The moment you start looking around, oh, look at this, Matthew 14, Lord, if it's you, Peter replied, tell me to come to you on the water.

13:51 Come, he said. Then Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But But when he saw the wind and he was afraid and began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me. Lord, Lord. But I went back to my old Lord. Lord, I started to think the Clippers were going to be good this year. I'm so sorry, Lord. I just can't believe I went. Sorry, this sink. You know, you got to ask yourself a question. Do you want to have a sinking life or do you want to have a standing life?

14:22 To stand in the freedom that's in Christ. I keep my eyes on Jesus. I keep my eyes on the prize. When I show up in heaven, I will not be held accountable for your life. When I show up in heaven, I will be held accountable for what I did with my time on earth, for what I did with Zoe Church. And while God allowed me to pastor this great community, I will be held accountable for my marriage and my parenting and what I did with my resources. So in order for me to fulfill my, I got to keep my eyes on Jesus. I hope that you're fulfilling your calling, but I got to make sure I'm standing firm in the grace that's in God. And my eyes are fixed on Jesus, who is the author and the finisher of our faith. And if you'll trust Jesus, he'll write for your life a better story than any script writer and screenwriter in all of Hollywood. Come on, clap if you believe it today. Give him a praise. So I'm just keeping my eyes. My eyes are steady. I've got what I call elite eye discipline. Just right here. Elite. No, I'm not. Not, no. I'm right here. I'm keeping my eyes on Jesus.

15:32 And then things get easier. The moment I get distracted, the moment it's about, wow, wow, whoa, wow. You ever watch other people's life? You're like, wow. Must be nice. Wow. God's been good to them. Wow. You know, I have found the more I look at Jesus, the more I can't believe what he's done for me. the more I keep my eyes right here, the more I'm like, I'm, hey, I'm grateful for what God did for you, but I wouldn't trade what I got for the world. I wouldn't trade what I got for the world.

16:18 Maybe I want your Tesla, but that's it. It's not a lot. I'm grateful for what God's doing in my life. So standing, to me, it's not about going like, all right, how are my feet? It's about keeping my eyes right here. And as I'm standing, as I'm looking at Jesus, I've learned in life that I've got to not just stand, I've got to learn how to run.

16:46 Faith is learning when you need to sit. Faith is learning when you need to stand. And faith is learning when you need to run. Sometimes you've got to sit and allow God to bless you, heal you, comfort you, build you up. Sometimes you've got to just sit there and receive. Other times you got to stand there and be strong. Other times you got to learn how to run. I don't know if you wear Asics. I don't know if you wear Hawkers. I don't know if you wear Nikes. I don't know if you wear Adidas. But sometimes in faith you got to learn when to run away from what's evil. Run away from what's killing you. Run away from the thing that could destroy your life. Run away from the thing that could mess you up.

17:30 Sometimes it's sitting. Sometimes it's standing. Other times it's running. One of my favorite stories, the Bible says in the book of Genesis, that Joseph, I love this about Joseph, that Joseph, he was called by God, favored by God, and his brothers sell him into slavery. His own flesh and blood sell him into slavery. And the Bible says that they lie to their dad, they bring his coat, and they go, Dad, he died. But they were lying. They sold him into slavery. When he was sold into slavery, he ends up in Potiphar's house. and I just love this because the Bible says wherever Joseph went he had favor wherever Joseph went the favor of God was on his life and I just want to say this over you it's not the employer that you're under right now the favor of God is on your life wherever you go you're going to have favor come on clap if you believe it today the favor of God will be with you wherever you go I believe that about Zoe. Zoe, we're in West Adams. We're in Highland Park. We're in South Bay. I believe everywhere we launch a Zoe, the favor of God will be with us. Come on, clap if you believe that. We have favor everywhere we go. Remember, Joseph started serving in Potiphar's house, and Potiphar's wife, she a little thirsty, and she's a desperate housewife, and she's sketchy McNasty, and she got a lot of issues, and she a doom scrawler, and she, you know, she a little trawler and she a, I don't know, I'm just.

18:59 And every day she comes into the house and she's like, Joe, Joe, Joey. Joe. Joseph's like, you devil woman. You get out of my life. One day he's in the house and nobody's in the house. Nobody's around. And she comes in. She sees it's just the two of them. She come in that kitchen. She's like, Joe. Joey. the bible says she grabs him by the jacket joseph is so committed to god that he does some spin move and runs out the house. Look here, read in Genesis.

19:57 Put it on the screen. I love this story so much. Genesis chapter 39, but it happened about this time when Joseph went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house were inside that she caught him by his garment saying, lie with me, Joe. But he left his garment in her hand and fled and ran outside. you have yeah right there is no way that i'm you think i can play with matches and not get burnt you think i can live in deviance and not pay the consequence there you listen you can have my my jacket but you can't jack my calling you can mess with me but i'm i'm i'm in the freedom that's found in God. I'm not going back to my old life. I'm called to live in freedom, and he ran out that house. Sometimes you've got to receive freedom. Sometimes you've got to stand in freedom. Other times you've got to run away from what's evil. All throughout the Bible, the Bible calls us to run.

21:02 Put up here, 2 Timothy 2, 22. Flee also youthful lust. 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 18. Flee from sexual immorality. Proverbs 22 verse 3, a prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished for it. There is something about someone that wants to live in freedom that says, I'm not willing to stay here. I'm not messing around in this environment. I'm not going to be around these people. I'm not going to play. I'm going to, I got to run. And I wonder, I wonder what kind of peace you'd have today. I wonder what kind of joy you'd have today, I wonder what kind of freedom that you would live in if you learn not just how to stand, but you learn when you need to run. Run. No, no, no. I'm running. It's not that y'all are bad people. It's that when I get with you, we become bad people. You're not good for me. You're not a good combo for me. When I get around you, it makes me want to gossip. It makes me want to be critical.

21:58 It makes me want to be duplistic. It makes me want to say evil things. I'm not being, I can't be around. It's not you, it's me. I can't be around you. So you receive it, you learn it, and then you fight. Part of fighting for freedom is not just standing in your boxing stance, it's learning when to run away from the thing that could destroy you. I was thinking as I was getting ready, one of my favorite people in the church, one of my dear friends was telling me this story years ago. He used to make rap videos in the 90s. And he's like, if you saw a rap video, I probably made this music video. He said, I was running away. He starts naming all the rappers. He's like, these were my friends. And when hip hop was blowing up, he's like, in the 90s, I was making every single music video. He said, I'll never forget. We were all hanging out at so-and-so's house. We would all know so-and-so. He said, we're hanging out at so-and-so's house. We were downstairs and everybody started smoking weed. He said, while I'm there, I'm on the couch. Everybody starts smoking weed and I hear God. He said, I haven't been to church in years, but I grew up church. I hear God speak to me. Get out of this house right now. He said, I jumped to my feet.

23:05 I walked upstairs. I walked out the front door and I never came back. I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to stay in a place that could destroy my destiny, delay my calling, mess with my future. Clap today if you're down to know when to run from what's... Oh, come on, giving praise today. I'm not willing to stay in this environment. Sometimes I got to learn when to get my shoes on. What is that song? Lace up your boots. Put on your what? I got to go. I got to go. Why? Because if I keep messing around, if I keep messing around, these things are going to pull me down. These things are going to pull me back. These things. So I want to give you the last thing today. I just want to tell you, if you're going to stand firm in freedom, if you really, anybody here, you want the freedom that's in Christ. Okay. If you want the freedom that's in Christ, two things that will always unlock, it will always allow you to walk in your potential that's found in Christ. Here's the two things that will keep you free. It is serving and being connected in community. Serving the Lord. God did not set you free so you could serve yourself. God did not set you free so you could be an island unto yourself. You've been set free to serve each other. And so the first thing I would do if I were you, if you've been set free by the blood of the Lamb, if you've been set free by the power of Jesus, I would find a way to serve.

24:34 And Jesus, in my opinion, Jesus is the greatest leader to ever walk the face of the earth. Jesus is the greatest person to ever live. And he says things like this, I did not come to be served, I came to serve and to give my life as a ransom. So if I were you, I'd serve, and then I would get connected in community, connected into church. And I recognize every Sunday, every time we gather, there are all kinds of people that are here for the first time. Church, can we just clap and thank God for everybody that's here for the very first time? Come on, let's make them feel at home today. And I would just say to everybody, if you don't have a church, if you currently don't have a church, I want you to prayerfully consider making this your church. I want you to pray about making Zoe your church. We'd love to have you. We are not a perfect church because there isn't a perfect church. I am not a perfect pastor. I struggle with leg day. Okay. And And...

25:38 but I want to tell you that church is God's plan for your life, and church is God's plan to reach humanity. He only has a plan A. He doesn't have a plan B. We started Zoe 11 years ago because we knew that the way that God wanted to reach L.A. is through the church, and by the way, there are all kinds of great churches around L.A. If this is not for you, find you a Bible-believing, Jesus-preaching church and get planted in the house of God. Amen to that? My life has been changed by being planted in the house of God. When God set me free, when God really set me free, I was 16 years old, and the first thing I did is I started to serve, and I got planted further in the house of God. And those two things have kept me in freedom. The first two things that the enemy wants you to do is don't you serve.

26:30 We don't care if you're free. Just don't serve. Because serving will change your life. And don't get involved in church. Because if you get involved in church, that's where the real power is at. And if you don't believe me, look here, Psalm 92 worship team, come join me. I love this scripture so much. The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age. They shall be fresh and they shall be flourishing. This is so cool. In the last service, my in-laws were here. They're in town, Julia's parents, Pastor Bob and Sue McGregor. And they both graduated from El Segundo High School. And yesterday was their 54-year class reunion.

27:25 they called it the class of 72 turns 72. And they had a pool party. That's one pool party I wish I was invited to. and we they came back to the house afterwards everybody knows how much i love to impersonate julia's dad pastor bob hey how you guys doing good to see you guys and i said how was your time at the pool party he goes all right we had a good time i was kind of a rock star it's kind of a big deal who would have known i was on a podcast a couple years ago everybody there listened to my podcast Thank you. he goes but i gotta tell you i gotta tell you sue sue most well-preserved woman that was there i'm thinking i hope you're saying that about your wife i hope you're not like well sally was the most preserved woman my god but why do they look a little different why do they look fresh and flourishing julia's dad's got cancer right now he shouldn't look this fresh and flourishing but they've been planted in the house of god serving in the house of god building the house of god and it says those that are planted in the house of God will always be fresh and always be flourishing they will bear fruit in every season I don't know how old you are you could be in your 20s you could be in your 30s 50s 70s it doesn't matter when you're planted in the house of God there's fruit from your life in every season of your life because that's the way God designed it oh come on clap and thank him today god didn't set you free so you could go and do you god didn't set you free so you can live for yourself god didn't set you free so you can flex your freedom on your family god didn't set you free so you can look better than everybody

29:34 else god set you free so you can go find somebody that's in chains that's in brokenness that's in bondage and let them know if God can do it for me, what can't God do it for you? Come on, give them a praise today. come on stand to your feet everybody stand to your feet so I just want to pray over you today that you would not weaponize your freedom for yourself God did it set you free so everybody can marvel at your freedom and say wow I remember you in high school man my father-in-law yesterday so cool he says to me the reason why I got to go to this pool party. There are people I haven't seen in 54 years that I need to go and see and show them what the Lord has done. What the Lord has done. The Lord has done. The Lord has done. The Lord has done. Look at what the Lord has done. Look at what God has done.

30:38 You don't understand. You don't understand. I was in a bad place. I was in a dark spot. I was lost, but now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. I was dead, but now I'm alive. Thank you, Jesus.

31:02 God's done something in my life. He didn't set me free so that I could just be free. He set me free so I could serve. You'll never taste how good freedom is until you use your freedom to serve another. You'll never experience how great freedom truly is until you lay your life down and say, it's not what I can get. I've been given enough. Now it's about what I can give. We say this at Zoe Church all the time. The only reason why we're 11 years old today is because a bunch of people in this city and a bunch of people in our church said it's not about what we can get anymore. It's about what we can give. We're here to bless LA. We're here to serve LA. We're here to make much of Jesus in LA. The last thing the enemy wants you to do is serve. Because serving doesn't just change others.

31:54 Serving changes you. connected in community life change happens in the context of community the enemy would love for you to be on your own because when you're in your own everything magnifies all your unforgiveness all your past all your greed all that stuff that funk you ever notice when you get around people you're like oh i'm all right Thank you. you got problems too i got problems you're fighting just to stay i'm i'm i'm fighting just to stay you need prayer i need prayer you're doing the fast i'm doing the fast you love jesus i love jesus i'm only here today because when god broke my chain when god set me free I started to serve the Lord and I got planted in the house of God.

33:00 And serving God and being planted in the house of God has changed my life forever. You couldn't pay me to go back to my old life. I've got standing power, anybody else? I've got standing power today. I'm standing in truth, anybody else? I'm standing in freedom, anybody else? I'm standing with praises in my mouth, anybody else? Oh, come on, if you believe it today. Come on, let's praise the Lord. Hallelujah. you. We worship you today. We declare that you are the king of the universe. We declare that you're the chain breaker of our life. We will walk. We will run. We will stand in the freedom. Oh, come on, let's praise the Lord. Again, thank you so much for listening. We pray that today's message brought you great strength and great encouragement. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button, and we'll see you back next week as we conclude our series on freedom.