WEBVTT 00:00:07.690 --> 00:00:10.169 Thank you for listening to this message from 00:00:10.169 --> 00:00:32.009 Lifehouse Church. I get to hang out with our 00:00:32.009 --> 00:00:34.369 families of the littlest babies all the way up 00:00:34.369 --> 00:00:38.250 to our high schools and seniors, even our graduating 00:00:38.250 --> 00:00:41.789 seniors that are soon to be leaving us small 00:00:41.789 --> 00:00:46.350 tier. And now, as you can probably see, there 00:00:46.350 --> 00:00:49.090 is an empty space up in the front and the office 00:00:49.090 --> 00:00:51.289 is very lonely. So if anybody wants to hang out 00:00:51.289 --> 00:00:54.000 with me this week, come stop in. But Pastor Kip 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:57.399 and Dixie were just recently on a much well -earned 00:00:57.399 --> 00:00:59.780 vacation, and now they're actually in Orlando, 00:00:59.979 --> 00:01:03.060 Florida. They are preparing this week. They are 00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:05.879 at the Church of God's General Assembly. So it's 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:07.980 a conference that the Church of God does every 00:01:07.980 --> 00:01:10.079 two years. So they're down there for that, and 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:13.620 they will be, in fact, here next week. But this 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:15.900 morning, we are going to continue down through 00:01:15.900 --> 00:01:18.659 our What to Do, What to Do series that Pastor 00:01:18.659 --> 00:01:20.840 Kip has been starting over the last couple weeks. 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:23.200 And I'm going to talk about everyone's favorite 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:28.000 subject. Ready? Conflict. I know. I really wish 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:29.500 it would have just like magically appeared above 00:01:29.500 --> 00:01:31.680 my head. But listen, if that makes you tense 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:33.640 to kind of like, you know, clench your fists 00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:36.579 and unfurl your brows, we're going to talk about 00:01:36.579 --> 00:01:38.319 conflict, but we're going to talk about what 00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:40.819 Jesus tells us to do with it. So if you would, 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:42.099 bow your heads. We're going to pray over this 00:01:42.099 --> 00:01:44.819 morning. Heavenly Father, God, we thank you for 00:01:44.819 --> 00:01:46.819 this morning. We thank you that we have the air 00:01:46.819 --> 00:01:49.819 in our lungs to be able to come here, to be able 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:52.599 to worship as a church family. Father, we thank 00:01:52.599 --> 00:01:55.620 you that you are in and amongst our midst. And 00:01:55.620 --> 00:01:58.269 this morning we pray that as we... Listen to 00:01:58.269 --> 00:02:00.510 the message as I prepare to give this message. 00:02:00.590 --> 00:02:02.750 Father, let it not be my words that are spoken, 00:02:02.890 --> 00:02:04.829 but yours through me. As you've been pouring 00:02:04.829 --> 00:02:07.250 things into me, God, I just pray that you are 00:02:07.250 --> 00:02:09.449 the one that is seen, that is heard in and above 00:02:09.449 --> 00:02:12.729 all things, that your will be accomplished, that 00:02:12.729 --> 00:02:15.289 all hearts and minds be open and ready to receive 00:02:15.289 --> 00:02:17.310 whatever it is that you have for them this morning. 00:02:17.610 --> 00:02:19.789 Father, we just thank you again, and we just 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:21.710 give this morning to you. In Jesus' name we pray, 00:02:21.830 --> 00:02:25.840 amen. So before I stepped into ministry, I actually 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:28.139 served a season as an elementary school teacher. 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:31.319 So during COVID or a little bit after COVID, 00:02:31.479 --> 00:02:34.080 I served for about four months every single day 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:36.460 as an elementary music teacher. If you saw that 00:02:36.460 --> 00:02:38.539 little emoji thing that we did a couple weeks 00:02:38.539 --> 00:02:40.740 ago, you might have learned that I played the 00:02:40.740 --> 00:02:42.539 saxophone for eight years. And so I have a little 00:02:42.539 --> 00:02:45.159 bit of music in my background. But anyways, I 00:02:45.159 --> 00:02:47.539 had kindergartners through fifth grade every 00:02:47.539 --> 00:02:51.379 single day. for weeks on end. And the one thing 00:02:51.379 --> 00:02:54.680 that I learned super, super quickly is that before 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:58.280 anything could be taught, the room had to get 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:02.120 settled. Nobody learns in chaos. And the same 00:03:02.120 --> 00:03:04.639 is true for us spiritually. When things stay 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:07.259 unsettled in our hearts, they start affecting 00:03:07.259 --> 00:03:11.740 everything around us. This morning, our key verse 00:03:11.740 --> 00:03:14.300 is going to be found in Matthew 5, chapter 25. 00:03:14.419 --> 00:03:16.080 So if you want to start getting ready to go there, 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:18.319 you can. And I'll give you a little bit of background. 00:03:18.580 --> 00:03:21.620 So at this point, Jesus is preaching the Sermon 00:03:21.620 --> 00:03:24.500 on the Mount, this large message that he's giving 00:03:24.500 --> 00:03:27.460 to thousands on a hillside. I'm not talking my 00:03:27.460 --> 00:03:30.680 little classroom of 25 kids at a time, but thousands 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:33.419 upon thousands upon thousands, both physically 00:03:33.419 --> 00:03:35.659 far from him and then also ones that are super 00:03:35.659 --> 00:03:38.439 close. I can only imagine how difficult it would 00:03:38.439 --> 00:03:41.080 have been to speak to all of those people. As 00:03:41.080 --> 00:03:43.159 he's delivering the message, I'm sure that there 00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:47.169 were moments of shock. Maybe moments of confusion. 00:03:47.469 --> 00:03:50.430 Maybe those little side conversations of like, 00:03:50.469 --> 00:03:53.069 can you believe what he just said? And then little 00:03:53.069 --> 00:03:55.310 conversations from there that just began to continue 00:03:55.310 --> 00:03:57.530 and to continue and to continue. But they needed 00:03:57.530 --> 00:03:59.229 to get settled or they would miss something. 00:04:00.110 --> 00:04:02.710 And so before our key scripture, Jesus actually 00:04:02.710 --> 00:04:04.969 says something that would probably land pretty 00:04:04.969 --> 00:04:07.409 hard and stop them in their tracks. He reminds 00:04:07.409 --> 00:04:11.210 them not to murder. Okay, we get that. Back in 00:04:11.210 --> 00:04:13.710 Exodus when Moses was given the Ten Commandments, 00:04:13.729 --> 00:04:16.660 we're told that That is a commandment. Thou shalt 00:04:16.660 --> 00:04:19.000 not murder. That's not shocking. But in verse 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:22.519 22, he says, but I say, if you are even angry 00:04:22.519 --> 00:04:25.300 with someone, you are subject to judgment. If 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:27.160 you call someone an idiot, you're in danger of 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:29.139 being brought before the court. And if you curse 00:04:29.139 --> 00:04:32.279 someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. 00:04:32.819 --> 00:04:34.879 So then that brings me to our main scripture 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:38.639 in five. 25, it says, settle matters quickly 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:41.759 with your adversary who is taking you to court. 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:45.199 Do it while you are still with him on the way, 00:04:45.220 --> 00:04:49.000 or he may hand you over to the judge and the 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:51.480 judge may hand you over to the officer and you 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:54.899 may be thrown into prison. Notice what Jesus 00:04:54.899 --> 00:04:57.839 is doing here. He first talked about the internal 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:00.620 problem of conflicts, the anger within our heart, 00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:03.000 and now he's giving us an external solution. 00:05:03.579 --> 00:05:06.660 Jesus says settle matters quickly, and he's talking 00:05:06.660 --> 00:05:09.259 more about just ending an argument. He's talking 00:05:09.259 --> 00:05:12.720 about refusing to let it go unresolved so that 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:14.980 the conflict can't take root in our heart. To 00:05:14.980 --> 00:05:18.439 be settled is to entrust our case to God and 00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:22.240 obey him while there is still time. For where 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:26.980 there is conflict, we must go and resolve. This 00:05:26.980 --> 00:05:29.139 is the plain command of the text. Don't wait. 00:05:29.319 --> 00:05:33.120 Go. Where there is conflict, go toward it, not 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:36.339 away from it, and move quickly. Go while you're 00:05:36.339 --> 00:05:39.879 still on the way. Go before it hardens into something 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:44.339 you can't undo. Go and resolve this thing. That's 00:05:44.339 --> 00:05:46.420 the whole progression that Jesus is laying out 00:05:46.420 --> 00:05:49.560 for us. Where there is unresolved anger, it'll 00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:52.720 lead to broken relationships and painful consequences. 00:05:53.660 --> 00:05:56.519 Jesus isn't telling us to avoid conflict at all 00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:59.459 costs. If anything, he's telling us that avoidance 00:05:59.459 --> 00:06:02.579 is the exact thing that turns just a small little 00:06:02.579 --> 00:06:07.060 conflict into a legal disaster. Because people 00:06:07.060 --> 00:06:10.160 don't just wind up in prison, right? They don't 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:13.019 wake up suddenly estranged from family or bitter 00:06:13.019 --> 00:06:15.399 toward a friend or even disconnected from God. 00:06:15.740 --> 00:06:18.839 There were moments made before the sentence, 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:22.939 moments before the consequence. And so go and 00:06:22.939 --> 00:06:25.839 resolve this thing while we're on the way. That's 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:28.759 what we're to do. It says with your adversary. 00:06:29.100 --> 00:06:30.839 Pay attention to that. And you may think, well, 00:06:30.899 --> 00:06:32.540 you know, I don't really have any enemies or 00:06:32.540 --> 00:06:34.639 I'm not on a sports team. I don't have any opponents. 00:06:35.220 --> 00:06:37.920 But your adversary means someone that you are 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:42.129 in conflict with. And Christian maturity is often 00:06:42.129 --> 00:06:45.910 much less about settling things or treating the 00:06:45.910 --> 00:06:48.470 easy people in our lives, but how we respond 00:06:48.470 --> 00:06:51.290 to difficult people and difficult situations. 00:06:52.569 --> 00:06:55.089 It's not just releasing something in your own 00:06:55.089 --> 00:07:00.129 heart, but going and resolving, going and settling 00:07:00.129 --> 00:07:04.170 with someone. Because listen, unsettled things, 00:07:04.310 --> 00:07:07.889 they become heavy things. They weigh on us. When 00:07:07.889 --> 00:07:10.870 Jesus tells us to go and settle matters quickly 00:07:10.870 --> 00:07:13.350 with our adversary while we're still on the way, 00:07:13.509 --> 00:07:16.449 he reminds us that while we are still on the 00:07:16.449 --> 00:07:19.769 way means that there is a window, a stretch of 00:07:19.769 --> 00:07:24.149 time, a season where the matter is still soft. 00:07:24.410 --> 00:07:27.149 It's still pliable. It's still fixable. It's 00:07:27.149 --> 00:07:31.050 still small enough to carry in one hand. But 00:07:31.050 --> 00:07:35.420 once you pass that time, no matter what, The 00:07:35.420 --> 00:07:37.220 matter eventually will not be yours to settle 00:07:37.220 --> 00:07:41.480 anymore. And lawsuits rarely begin in the courtroom. 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:43.879 By the time that people actually get to the point 00:07:43.879 --> 00:07:46.439 of being in court, there were hundreds of decisions 00:07:46.439 --> 00:07:48.540 that had already been made. There were maybe 00:07:48.540 --> 00:07:52.779 missed phone calls, missed conversations, unsigned 00:07:52.779 --> 00:07:55.519 agreements, warnings that weren't heeded. The 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:57.839 courtroom is actually usually the end of a very, 00:07:57.879 --> 00:08:00.100 very long story as opposed to the very beginning. 00:08:01.259 --> 00:08:03.920 What started once maybe as just a little note, 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:06.379 side conversation, suddenly becomes a briefcase 00:08:06.379 --> 00:08:08.639 that's stuffed and overflowing and exploding 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:14.160 on all sides. Things become heavy because they 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:17.019 are left unsettled. That case that we build becomes 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:21.819 heavy. And what begins then as a moment turns 00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:23.980 into a weight that we carry because we refuse 00:08:23.980 --> 00:08:27.740 to deal with it. In Hebrews 12, 15, it says, 00:08:27.779 --> 00:08:30.399 see to it that no one falls short of the grace 00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:34.519 of God and that no bitter root grows up. If you've 00:08:34.519 --> 00:08:37.960 ever planted a seed or even pulled a weed, you 00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:40.240 know that a root starts hidden, starts underneath 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:42.659 the surface. And this isn't Jack and the Beanstalk. 00:08:42.700 --> 00:08:44.240 You're not just going to wake up one morning 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:46.340 and see this giant tree outside your window. 00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:49.600 Bitterness is a root of conflict that grows. 00:08:49.840 --> 00:08:52.600 It grows from small offenses that we didn't settle 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:56.200 while they were small. So listen, maybe you've 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:59.120 seen it like this. Maybe a teenager starts to 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:00.820 believe, you know what, my parents just, they 00:09:00.820 --> 00:09:03.159 don't understand me. Instead of talking about 00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:05.600 it and going through it, they withdraw. They 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:08.580 just let the hurt grow. Maybe then the parent 00:09:08.580 --> 00:09:10.259 thinks, you know what, my child doesn't understand 00:09:10.259 --> 00:09:15.220 me. Instead of talking about it, they get frustrated. 00:09:15.460 --> 00:09:17.440 They say, my child doesn't appreciate any of 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:19.440 the things that we do. And so instead of pursuing 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:21.600 a relationship, they begin to just start keeping 00:09:21.600 --> 00:09:25.220 score. Maybe it's a husband and a wife. They 00:09:25.220 --> 00:09:29.039 stop having hard conversations because it's just 00:09:29.039 --> 00:09:31.100 easier to live with the conflict around than 00:09:31.100 --> 00:09:34.360 to work through it. Maybe a brother and a sister, 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:37.700 and they let years go between them because no 00:09:37.700 --> 00:09:40.519 one wants to make the first phone call. Maybe 00:09:40.519 --> 00:09:44.259 it's even just a friendship, a conversation that 00:09:44.259 --> 00:09:46.620 happened and maybe one comment was made that 00:09:46.620 --> 00:09:48.879 just got taken the wrong way. And instead of 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:51.259 asking, well, what did you mean by that? Both 00:09:51.259 --> 00:09:54.320 people just quietly pull away until later you 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:56.659 find that it's been years until they last spoke. 00:09:57.080 --> 00:10:00.440 Or even here in the church, maybe at times someone 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:02.879 has felt overlooked. They've been hurt or even 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:05.740 misunderstood. But rather than having an honest 00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:08.320 conversation, they simply just distance themselves. 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:11.580 Before long, what started as maybe a misunderstanding 00:10:11.580 --> 00:10:16.159 becomes a division. Most relationships aren't 00:10:16.159 --> 00:10:18.519 actually destroyed because of some explosive 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:23.259 moment. They simply just are conflicts that were 00:10:23.259 --> 00:10:26.179 never settled. And, you know, the thing about 00:10:26.179 --> 00:10:28.559 those relationships, though, is that it might 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:32.320 not actually take that much to close it. Maybe 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:35.080 right now there's a situation in your head, maybe 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:38.820 a name, someone you need to go to after this 00:10:38.820 --> 00:10:41.659 morning's gathering. Remember that that is not 00:10:41.659 --> 00:10:45.059 the side application of this verse. That is the 00:10:45.059 --> 00:10:48.460 verse, to go and resolve and to do it quickly. 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:51.320 And I know you may say, well, Pastor Alyssa, 00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:53.259 I know that I'm supposed to go, but I don't really 00:10:53.259 --> 00:10:55.899 want to go. What if I don't want to? I'm like, 00:10:55.919 --> 00:10:57.820 well, you know, plainly I want to look at you 00:10:57.820 --> 00:10:59.440 and say, well, I don't really care if you don't 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:02.220 want to go because you know that you should go. 00:11:02.360 --> 00:11:04.600 But the question you're probably actually struggling 00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:08.419 with is how. How do I go without carrying anger, 00:11:08.600 --> 00:11:11.820 without carrying pride, without needing to win? 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:16.360 Jesus wasn't just concerned that we go. He's 00:11:16.360 --> 00:11:18.940 concerned about the condition of our heart that 00:11:18.940 --> 00:11:23.279 goes. So to fully settle, we need to rest and 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:27.740 release. Rest sounds passive and go sounds super 00:11:27.740 --> 00:11:30.480 active. But the thing is, you can't go towards 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:33.320 someone in a posture of reconciliation, a posture 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:36.080 of wanting to fix things, if your heart is still 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:39.879 actively building a case against them. Settling 00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:43.259 is coming to rest. and releasing that role of 00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:47.580 judge to the Lord. So last weekend, I believe 00:11:47.580 --> 00:11:50.899 it was, we just hosted our LHC kids drive -in 00:11:50.899 --> 00:11:53.539 movie night, which was, in fact, as cute as you 00:11:53.539 --> 00:11:55.259 think it was. If you didn't see the pictures, 00:11:55.460 --> 00:11:57.820 I recommend going to look at them. But the kids 00:11:57.820 --> 00:12:00.799 drove right up into the church, and we then watched 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:04.779 the story of David unfold. So the story of David, 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:07.480 we've got King Saul. King Saul is leading Israel. 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:09.559 He's the one that... The Lord originally said, 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:11.960 you know what? You want a king? Here he is. But 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:14.960 he began to turn. He disobeyed the Lord. And 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:17.120 so the prophet Samuel comes and says, you know 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:19.820 what? The kingdom, it's going to be taken from 00:12:19.820 --> 00:12:22.179 you. And a new king is going to be anointed. 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:26.120 Enter David. This humble shepherd boy out in 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:28.460 the fields, playing his harp, minding his own 00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:32.480 business. When he was called in, David gets anointed 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:35.240 to be king. And then he goes back to the field 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:38.340 for years. He is carrying a heavy anointing, 00:12:38.340 --> 00:12:40.860 but understanding that it's not yet his time. 00:12:41.019 --> 00:12:43.600 He's respecting God's anointed, which at the 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:47.159 time was still Saul. So later, most of us know 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:49.919 that he gets to the point of he ends up at the 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:52.220 battlefield. He ends up being the one to defeat 00:12:52.220 --> 00:12:55.580 Goliath, and Saul ends up appointing him to be 00:12:55.580 --> 00:13:00.309 a lead over his armies. But as David starts winning 00:13:00.309 --> 00:13:02.389 victories, as people start beginning to take 00:13:02.389 --> 00:13:04.509 notice that there's something special about David, 00:13:04.629 --> 00:13:07.610 Saul starts to put together the pieces. He remembers 00:13:07.610 --> 00:13:11.070 that someone else was going to be appointed king, 00:13:11.250 --> 00:13:15.210 and he starts figuring out that it's David. What 00:13:15.210 --> 00:13:18.750 happens? He gets super angry. And I mean angry 00:13:18.750 --> 00:13:21.409 to the point of Saul is now pursuing David to 00:13:21.409 --> 00:13:24.490 kill him. David is now running, actively being 00:13:24.490 --> 00:13:27.110 hunted, betrayed by someone he once honored. 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:30.659 I mean, can you imagine going from living in 00:13:30.659 --> 00:13:34.200 a palace to sleeping in a cave, being actively 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:36.700 chased, pursued by the man that you once just 00:13:36.700 --> 00:13:38.720 played a harp for, the one that you respected, 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:41.820 the one whose son you treated like a brother. 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:45.500 But then there comes this moment, a moment where 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:50.279 David had to retaliate. Saul is alone. He's vulnerable. 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:53.940 He is exactly where he could have ended it. And 00:13:53.940 --> 00:13:56.600 the world would say, you know what, do it. End 00:13:56.600 --> 00:13:58.860 it. Save yourself. You're the one who's supposed 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:02.919 to lead anyways. But he doesn't. He released 00:14:02.919 --> 00:14:06.299 the case to the Lord in 1 Samuel 24, verses 12 00:14:06.299 --> 00:14:09.620 through 14. He said, may the Lord judge between 00:14:09.620 --> 00:14:13.419 you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs 00:14:13.419 --> 00:14:16.740 you have done to me. But my hand will not touch 00:14:16.740 --> 00:14:20.519 you. As the old saying goes, from evildoers come 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:24.960 evil deeds. So my hand will not touch you. Before 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:28.080 David ever had the opportunity to spare Saul's 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:30.320 life in the cave, he had actually already spent 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:34.000 years pouring his heart out to the Lord. He didn't 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:36.600 just pretend everything was fine. He prayed. 00:14:36.679 --> 00:14:39.679 He lamented. He cried out. He asked God, why 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:42.259 was this happening? He was wrestling with fear, 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:46.070 disappointment, and even injustice. So many of 00:14:46.070 --> 00:14:48.250 the Psalms that David wrote during this period 00:14:48.250 --> 00:14:50.750 of time while he was fleeing from Saul, they 00:14:50.750 --> 00:14:54.669 are raw and honest. He talks about enemies pursuing 00:14:54.669 --> 00:14:58.370 him, people seeking his life, feeling surrounded 00:14:58.370 --> 00:15:01.830 and overwhelmed. But David didn't ignore the 00:15:01.830 --> 00:15:03.850 pain and the conflict. He just brought it before 00:15:03.850 --> 00:15:08.230 the Lord and rested in his sovereignty. He rested 00:15:08.230 --> 00:15:12.370 and then released the issue because he knew that 00:15:12.370 --> 00:15:15.440 the Lord's will would prevail. if he obeyed. 00:15:15.460 --> 00:15:18.559 He rested and released the conflict because he 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:22.019 knew that God was in control. By the time that 00:15:22.019 --> 00:15:25.460 David stood in that cave with Saul, within arm's 00:15:25.460 --> 00:15:29.080 reach, David had already had the time to release 00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:31.700 his anger, his fear, his desire for justice, 00:15:31.940 --> 00:15:35.340 all to the Lord. So when the moment came, he 00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:39.340 simply refused to let Saul's sin create sin in 00:15:39.340 --> 00:15:42.240 him. Because conflict in the heat of the moment, 00:15:42.299 --> 00:15:44.620 in the struggle, in our flesh, it does. It makes 00:15:44.620 --> 00:15:47.559 us want to react in huge ways. We want to lash 00:15:47.559 --> 00:15:49.820 out with words. We want to lash out with actions 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:53.600 and anger. But our key scripture of Matthew 525 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:56.399 reminds us that we're not supposed to blow up 00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:59.919 and keep walking to the court. We can pause, 00:16:00.179 --> 00:16:05.820 rest, and release. We can rest in him. We can 00:16:05.820 --> 00:16:09.220 take matters to the Lord in prayer. We can release 00:16:09.220 --> 00:16:13.179 everything while we're on the way. But listen, 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:16.480 prayer is just what prepares us to go. Prayer 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:21.919 is not a substitute for actually going. Some 00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:24.299 of us have just been asking God to simply remove 00:16:24.299 --> 00:16:26.840 the conflict. We'll go to the Lord in prayer 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:28.139 and say, you know what, Lord, if you could just 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:29.879 smooth this all out, everything would be great. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:32.179 I can do about my stuff. But that's not how the 00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:34.419 Lord wants it to work. He says, I need you to 00:16:34.419 --> 00:16:36.919 have a conversation. I need you to step up and 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:40.860 take this moment. So if you were to ask yourself 00:16:40.860 --> 00:16:43.559 honestly, would you say that you're still building 00:16:43.559 --> 00:16:46.720 a case against someone? Have you been collecting 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:49.659 evidence, rehearsing the wrong things that they've 00:16:49.659 --> 00:16:52.159 done, even recruited other people just waiting 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:56.480 for your moment? We know that Jesus instructs 00:16:56.480 --> 00:17:00.960 us to go, but we answer the how by resting in 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:05.900 him and releasing the matter to God. Because 00:17:05.900 --> 00:17:07.799 settling a matter doesn't always mean that the 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:09.819 relationship is going to be restored overnight. 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:14.380 But it doesn't always mean that trust is immediately 00:17:14.380 --> 00:17:17.039 rebuilt. Because sometimes, you know, the problem 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:19.539 is that the other people won't respond the way 00:17:19.539 --> 00:17:22.700 we thought they would or should. But as followers 00:17:22.700 --> 00:17:26.640 of Jesus, we are still responsible for our obedience, 00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:32.980 not their response. So we rest and release. We 00:17:32.980 --> 00:17:35.940 release the verdict, the outcome to God because 00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:41.180 he is much more qualified than we are. Why? Because 00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:44.599 while we rest in knowing that God is the ultimate 00:17:44.599 --> 00:17:49.500 judge, we also must remember that Jesus is the 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:54.000 one that settled our debt first. We have to remember 00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:57.920 what he's done. Remembering what he's done is 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:01.980 the foundation for settling matters. Remembering 00:18:01.980 --> 00:18:05.119 what he's done is how we are able to go and resolve. 00:18:05.740 --> 00:18:09.400 Remembering what he's done is how we are able 00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:13.819 to rest and release. Because the greatest unsettled 00:18:13.819 --> 00:18:17.619 matter was not between us and another person, 00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:23.660 but it's between us and God. We had an unsettled 00:18:23.660 --> 00:18:27.680 matter with God. Sin. Sin was something that 00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:30.839 was separating us from this holy God. We couldn't 00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:33.200 fix it. We couldn't pay it. We couldn't undo 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:37.400 it. We couldn't just carry the hurt. We were 00:18:37.400 --> 00:18:40.940 carrying guilt. Maybe when somebody lies, when 00:18:40.940 --> 00:18:43.200 somebody betrays you, when somebody cheats, when 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:46.519 somebody gossips, when somebody causes some sort 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:49.799 of conflict that is stirring up, we then want 00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:52.700 somebody to pay. And so we either settle it by 00:18:52.700 --> 00:18:55.680 just that. We either say, you're going to pay, 00:18:55.799 --> 00:19:00.079 or we absorb the cost. And that is what Jesus 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:05.359 did. He settled our debt by absorbing the cost. 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:10.619 Remember what he's done. Think of the irony. 00:19:10.859 --> 00:19:14.400 In our key scripture of Matthew 5, 25, Jesus 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:17.740 is teaching this passage. And then years later, 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:22.559 where does he end up? On his way to court. Jesus 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:25.440 was arrested in the garden after having been 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:28.440 betrayed by a friend, a disciple, a brother. 00:19:29.450 --> 00:19:32.569 He was taken before religious leaders where false 00:19:32.569 --> 00:19:34.549 witnesses were brought in. And then what happens? 00:19:34.829 --> 00:19:37.109 Accusations fly. Lies are told. They spit on 00:19:37.109 --> 00:19:39.410 him. They strike him. They mock him. They lead 00:19:39.410 --> 00:19:42.750 him to Pilate. That sounds like a typical courtroom, 00:19:42.950 --> 00:19:46.309 maybe without all the aggression. But you've 00:19:46.309 --> 00:19:49.109 got a judge. You've got your witnesses. You have 00:19:49.109 --> 00:19:52.730 an accusation. You even have a sentence. But 00:19:52.730 --> 00:19:56.009 there was one thing that's wrong. The verdict. 00:19:57.630 --> 00:20:02.049 Jesus. was perfect. He was blameless. He was 00:20:02.049 --> 00:20:07.630 innocent. He did God's will and never once sinned. 00:20:08.109 --> 00:20:13.970 Yet he was declared guilty. But he didn't defend 00:20:13.970 --> 00:20:18.329 himself. He had all of the power and the authority 00:20:18.329 --> 00:20:22.089 to call down angels to prove his innocence, but 00:20:22.089 --> 00:20:26.609 he remained silent. 1 Peter 2 .23 says, when 00:20:26.609 --> 00:20:30.829 he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he 00:20:30.829 --> 00:20:36.349 entrusted himself to him who judges justly. Why? 00:20:37.609 --> 00:20:40.970 Because Jesus wasn't trying to win his case. 00:20:41.170 --> 00:20:45.710 He was settling ours. He didn't need to win his 00:20:45.710 --> 00:20:47.769 case with the father because the father already 00:20:47.769 --> 00:20:50.509 knew the truth. So then on the cross, he paid 00:20:50.509 --> 00:20:53.500 the debt that we could never pay. He didn't have 00:20:53.500 --> 00:20:55.279 to just carry this burden of proving himself 00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:58.279 so that he could walk free, but so that we could 00:20:58.279 --> 00:21:01.140 instead. The nails weren't the thing that was 00:21:01.140 --> 00:21:03.279 holding him to the cross because he could have 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:05.299 freed himself in a moment. That was no matter 00:21:05.299 --> 00:21:09.279 for him. But the desire to settle our case once 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:12.720 and for all is what held him there. We remember 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:16.940 what he's done because Jesus isn't asking us 00:21:16.940 --> 00:21:19.559 to do something that he's not willing to do first. 00:21:20.910 --> 00:21:23.089 We don't go because we're naturally forgiving, 00:21:23.390 --> 00:21:27.430 right? We go because we've been forgiven. We 00:21:27.430 --> 00:21:29.809 don't release because people necessarily deserve 00:21:29.809 --> 00:21:33.509 it. We release because Jesus released us. We 00:21:33.509 --> 00:21:35.890 don't pursue peace because conflict is comfortable. 00:21:36.190 --> 00:21:39.970 We pursue peace because Christ made peace with 00:21:39.970 --> 00:21:43.349 us. We can go to another person because we're 00:21:43.349 --> 00:21:45.589 not going from a place of trying to prove ourselves. 00:21:46.309 --> 00:21:50.480 We remember what he's done. Because it's not 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:53.160 about releasing people because they earn it, 00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:58.000 but again, because Jesus first released us. Settling 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:02.640 with people, resting in God only works because 00:22:02.640 --> 00:22:06.059 Jesus already settled the debt that mattered 00:22:06.059 --> 00:22:11.279 most. And remembering what Jesus has done changes 00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:15.920 also how we see the person who hurt me. The person 00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:18.359 who hurts us, the conflicts that we're in, the 00:22:18.359 --> 00:22:22.500 situations that we face. It humbles our pride. 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:27.859 It softens our anger. It loosens your grip on 00:22:27.859 --> 00:22:31.460 desiring revenge. It gives you the courage to 00:22:31.460 --> 00:22:35.339 have the hard conversation. Remembering what 00:22:35.339 --> 00:22:39.880 he's done helps us to go and resolve. Remembering 00:22:39.880 --> 00:22:43.519 what he's done helps us to rest and release. 00:22:45.900 --> 00:22:49.079 As the worship team comes, let me ask you this. 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:53.720 What are you carrying that God has never asked 00:22:53.720 --> 00:22:59.259 you to carry? Is it an offense? Is it a desire 00:22:59.259 --> 00:23:03.579 for revenge? Maybe a conversation that you've 00:23:03.579 --> 00:23:08.740 avoided, a burden for control, a fear, a regret. 00:23:12.119 --> 00:23:15.630 Think about how my message began. My classroom 00:23:15.630 --> 00:23:19.230 could not move forward until it was settled. 00:23:19.829 --> 00:23:23.029 Jesus says that our hearts work the same way. 00:23:23.710 --> 00:23:28.150 Families work the same way. Marriages work the 00:23:28.150 --> 00:23:32.450 same way. Churches work the same way. Nothing 00:23:32.450 --> 00:23:36.529 healthy will grow where conflict and bitterness 00:23:36.529 --> 00:23:42.269 remain. So why do we think That it's okay for 00:23:42.269 --> 00:23:45.329 us that we have the right to take people to court, 00:23:45.450 --> 00:23:49.390 to drag them, to respond harshly, to hold grudges, 00:23:49.390 --> 00:23:52.069 to carry burdens, to harbor bitterness and anger 00:23:52.069 --> 00:23:57.089 instead of trusting them to the Father. Just 00:23:57.089 --> 00:23:59.269 as I learned when I was a teacher where nothing 00:23:59.269 --> 00:24:02.529 good happens until the room is settled, Jesus 00:24:02.529 --> 00:24:05.690 teaches that nothing healthy grows in a heart 00:24:05.690 --> 00:24:10.299 that refuses to settle. One classroom taught 00:24:10.299 --> 00:24:13.240 children. The other, the Sermon on the Mount, 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:16.079 taught disciples. It taught followers of God, 00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:22.180 children of God. And that, that's us. The lesson 00:24:22.180 --> 00:24:27.259 is the same. Don't let chaos remain. Get settled. 00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:30.700 But that doesn't mean that you just get to leave 00:24:30.700 --> 00:24:33.579 here all light and spiritually happy and whatnot. 00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:35.900 It means that if there's a name on your mind, 00:24:36.059 --> 00:24:39.279 a conflict that happened, a situation going through 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:41.900 your head, that you should leave prayerfully 00:24:41.900 --> 00:24:47.240 today with a plan to go and go quickly. Jesus 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:49.339 tells us to settle matters quickly because he 00:24:49.339 --> 00:24:53.420 knows what happens when unsettled matters remain. 00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:57.509 A conversation avoided becomes bitterness. A 00:24:57.509 --> 00:25:00.210 wound ignored becomes resentment. A thought entertained 00:25:00.210 --> 00:25:04.009 becomes a stronghold. And what starts small grows 00:25:04.009 --> 00:25:08.329 heavier and heavier and heavier. And so today 00:25:08.329 --> 00:25:10.809 it's not just, hey, stop carrying that. But it's, 00:25:10.809 --> 00:25:15.089 hey, deal with it before it escalates and before 00:25:15.089 --> 00:25:19.690 it's too late. Settle what needs to be settled. 00:25:20.309 --> 00:25:25.029 Don't allow what can be resolved to become something 00:25:25.029 --> 00:25:28.460 that controls you. Don't get to the courtroom 00:25:28.460 --> 00:25:31.759 holding on to things that you should have resolved 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:35.140 along the way. Stand with me this morning, please. 00:25:41.819 --> 00:25:45.220 If this morning you are carrying something, some 00:25:45.220 --> 00:25:48.839 bitter root, some conflict, some hatred, some 00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:52.680 anger, some matter that you need to settle, I 00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:55.079 want you to settle it here first. Before you 00:25:55.079 --> 00:25:57.990 go to somebody else, First, surrender your heart 00:25:57.990 --> 00:26:01.569 to the Lord. Ask him to remove your desire to 00:26:01.569 --> 00:26:06.670 punish, to prove, or even to prevail. Then go 00:26:06.670 --> 00:26:10.509 in obedience, even if your emotions haven't fully 00:26:10.509 --> 00:26:13.809 caught up yet. Until you settle yourself in the 00:26:13.809 --> 00:26:16.369 Lord, you'll never have the strength to do it 00:26:16.369 --> 00:26:21.589 outside of here. This morning, I want you to 00:26:21.589 --> 00:26:27.019 bow your heads and close your eyes. If you need 00:26:27.019 --> 00:26:29.740 to settle something, I want you to do something. 00:26:29.799 --> 00:26:33.380 And again, with eyes closed, heads down, this 00:26:33.380 --> 00:26:36.319 is a moment between you and God. If you need 00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:37.980 to settle something this morning, here's what 00:26:37.980 --> 00:26:39.819 I want you to do. I'm not gonna ask you to step 00:26:39.819 --> 00:26:41.500 out from your seat right now. I'm gonna ask you 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:46.680 to extend a hand and hold your fist as if you're 00:26:46.680 --> 00:26:48.880 holding on to whatever that matter is, whatever 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:51.000 that thing is that you need to let go of, whatever 00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:53.799 conflict that has been going on in your life, 00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:57.400 whatever situation. has been causing you unrest, 00:26:57.680 --> 00:27:01.740 whatever thing has been causing you stress, this, 00:27:01.819 --> 00:27:04.160 we're holding onto it right now. But we're not 00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:06.339 just holding onto it to hold onto it, we're holding 00:27:06.339 --> 00:27:10.680 onto it before the Lord. This is the moment, 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:12.180 like I said, that no one needs to be looking 00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:13.839 around, no one needs to know exactly what your 00:27:13.839 --> 00:27:15.839 conflict is, but this is the moment that you're 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:19.579 holding onto this before the Lord. I'm gonna 00:27:19.579 --> 00:27:22.900 pray, and I want you to continue to pray, but 00:27:22.900 --> 00:27:26.910 when you're ready, I want you to release your 00:27:26.910 --> 00:27:29.750 fist. I don't want you to release your hand because 00:27:29.750 --> 00:27:31.529 I'm done praying. I don't want you to release 00:27:31.529 --> 00:27:34.089 because the moment feels like it's over. I want 00:27:34.089 --> 00:27:36.490 you to release when you've taken the time to 00:27:36.490 --> 00:27:40.849 settle your heart. And then if you'd still like 00:27:40.849 --> 00:27:43.170 individual prayer, we have a prayer team that 00:27:43.170 --> 00:27:44.690 will be along the side that would love to pray 00:27:44.690 --> 00:27:46.829 with you or I would be willing to pray with you. 00:27:46.890 --> 00:27:51.299 But don't leave here carrying a heavy case. Don't 00:27:51.299 --> 00:27:53.880 leave here with a matter that needs to be settled 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:57.059 in your heart. Take this moment before the Lord. 00:27:57.339 --> 00:28:01.039 Rest and release. And then we're going to go 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:04.759 quickly. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, God, we 00:28:04.759 --> 00:28:06.880 thank you for this morning. God, we thank you 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:09.079 for your word. We thank you that you have been 00:28:09.079 --> 00:28:11.519 with us this morning as we are talking, as we're 00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:14.740 going through this conflict, this conversation 00:28:14.740 --> 00:28:17.690 that sometimes can be uncomfortable. The idea 00:28:17.690 --> 00:28:20.069 of conflict is not something that we want to 00:28:20.069 --> 00:28:22.029 be in. It's not something that we were ever meant 00:28:22.029 --> 00:28:25.769 to be in. Father, we thank you that this morning 00:28:25.769 --> 00:28:28.089 as we've heard from your word, as we've heard 00:28:28.089 --> 00:28:29.950 from the message that you preached yourself, 00:28:30.190 --> 00:28:35.109 that we have a command, God. We are supposed 00:28:35.109 --> 00:28:38.369 to go and resolve our matters, but we need to 00:28:38.369 --> 00:28:41.269 rest in you. We need to release that matter to 00:28:41.269 --> 00:28:44.039 you this morning. So Father, for those that I 00:28:44.039 --> 00:28:45.960 saw that have their hands raised this morning, 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:48.519 those that were holding on to something, God, 00:28:48.579 --> 00:28:51.359 I pray that there be a release, not just a physical 00:28:51.359 --> 00:28:54.339 release of their hands, but God, as they release 00:28:54.339 --> 00:28:57.200 that matter to you in their hearts, as they feel 00:28:57.200 --> 00:29:02.319 that freedom, that joy, that peace that comes 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:04.579 from releasing something to you, to know that 00:29:04.579 --> 00:29:06.880 we're not the judge, to know that we're not the 00:29:06.880 --> 00:29:11.079 one that has to handle it. But God, that you 00:29:11.079 --> 00:29:14.859 do go with us. That when you say that we're supposed 00:29:14.859 --> 00:29:17.460 to settle matters along the way with our adversary 00:29:17.460 --> 00:29:20.839 on the way, God, you are also right there with 00:29:20.839 --> 00:29:25.259 us. That today as we go, today as we go and resolve, 00:29:25.420 --> 00:29:28.859 after we've taken the time to remember what you've 00:29:28.859 --> 00:29:31.500 done and to remember that we can rest and release 00:29:31.500 --> 00:29:33.519 in you, Father, I pray that you are with us in 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:37.359 guiding every word, every conversation. And Father, 00:29:37.420 --> 00:29:40.779 when... The outcome happens. Whatever happens, 00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:43.640 we give it to you. We trust you. When we pray 00:29:43.640 --> 00:29:46.460 for reconciliation, we pray for relationships 00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:52.000 to be fixed. We pray for situations to come to 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:56.119 a resolution, God. We pray that this morning 00:29:56.119 --> 00:29:58.960 as we release our anger, as we release our pride, 00:29:59.099 --> 00:30:04.460 as we release anything to you, God, that we are 00:30:04.460 --> 00:30:08.710 settled, that we feel rested. But not that we're 00:30:08.710 --> 00:30:11.390 just spiritually lighter and ready to just happy 00:30:11.390 --> 00:30:13.170 -go -lucky go on our way and say, oh, well, I 00:30:13.170 --> 00:30:16.250 released it. But, God, that we are strengthened 00:30:16.250 --> 00:30:18.730 and given the courage and the boldness that it 00:30:18.730 --> 00:30:22.190 takes to go and have that conversation. Go and 00:30:22.190 --> 00:30:26.130 speak to that conflict. Go and move in your power, 00:30:26.250 --> 00:30:28.430 God, your authority that goes with us because 00:30:28.430 --> 00:30:31.289 of your Holy Spirit. God, we thank you this morning. 00:30:31.980 --> 00:30:34.839 We pray that you are just continuing to minister 00:30:34.839 --> 00:30:37.220 the hearts, minister to the people, even if things 00:30:37.220 --> 00:30:40.119 come up later, that they come back to this. They 00:30:40.119 --> 00:30:43.759 come back to remembering that they don't go alone, 00:30:43.980 --> 00:30:48.400 but they are to go. But they have the power to 00:30:48.400 --> 00:30:53.240 go because of what you've done. We thank you, 00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:56.240 Lord. We thank you for what you've done. We thank 00:30:56.240 --> 00:30:59.259 you for settling our debt, God. We thank you. 00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:01.799 For when we didn't deserve it, that you gave 00:31:01.799 --> 00:31:07.359 us your son. You set us free and you're giving 00:31:07.359 --> 00:31:10.859 us freedom yet today. Father, we thank you. We 00:31:10.859 --> 00:31:23.660 give you all things in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank 00:31:23.660 --> 00:31:26.640 you for tuning in to this message from Lifehouse 00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:30.039 Church. Pray that you were impacted powerfully 00:31:30.039 --> 00:31:32.819 by this message. If you have been personally 00:31:32.819 --> 00:31:35.380 affected by our ministry and you would like to 00:31:35.380 --> 00:31:38.640 partner with us as we love God, love people every 00:31:38.640 --> 00:31:44.759 day, visit our website at www .lifehousecog .com.