Alright. Hey, everybody. Welcome to Valley Creek. Before we get started, I want to have some fun today. I want us to all welcome each other one campus at a time. Are you ready for this? Okay. Let’s take a moment and welcome in Gainesville. Very nice. Welcome in Lewisville. Hello to Denton. Hey everybody in The Venue. Hey everybody at the Flower Mound Campus. And those who are watching online today. Welcome everybody. We are Valley Creek. We are one church that meets in multiple campuses and carries the hope of Jesus to thousands of locations. I want to hone in on the one church part of that. One church with one heart, with one mind, with one spirit, with one atmosphere, one family on mission.

That is us. We are Valley Creek. So it’s so good to be together today because we are going to have a one church experience today. We’re going to get to experience something altogether all at the same time. I’m super looking forward to what God is going to do in our time together. But before we do, let me ask you this question. How’s your peace? Because I think in this state of the world and geopolitical and the last two years and the news cycle, and everything that’s kind of out there, if we’re honest with ourselves, there’s not much peace in here. Sometimes the chaos of the world is just swirling and it feels like you cannot get your mind cleared and just honed in on the peace of Jesus. You see, Jesus tells us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I’ve overcome the world.” Jesus says, “The peace that I give to you, my peace I leave with you. I do not give as the world gives it.”

You see, the world gives you peace that’s really temporary. It’s temporal. And so really in the world, peace is based on the absence of conflict. Like if a country is not at war, we say it’s at a time of peace. But that’s not really true, it’s not just the absence of conflict or chaos, it’s actually the presence of Jesus on the inside. It’s not that there’s not bad things going on out there, it’s that the goodness of God is in here. A lot of times we’ll think about peace in terms of if my life lines up and everything kind of falls into place and everything’s kind of perfectly set in front of me. But I would contend to you, it’s not if everything is lined up, it’s if the spirit is filled up on the inside, and then a peace that passes understanding is ours for the taking all the time. If we will let the words of Jesus, the realities of his kingdom wash over each one of us. And so we created a resource called Peace.

Peace is found on ValleyCreek+. It is a 12-minute spoken word with scripture set to music. And the whole point of this resource is that you can listen to it and literally let it wash over your mind and your heart and your soul and your body, all of you. You see, Jesus says he cleanses his church by the washing of the water and the word. Literally, he wants the word to wash over his people, to wash over our church. And so today, we’re going to do exactly that. We’re going to listen to Peace. For 12 minutes, we’re going to take in the very words, the heart, the love of the Father. And Peace is going to wash over each one of us. And if you hear me saying that, and you’re thinking to yourself, 12 minutes? That might be the exact reason that you need to actually have some peace spoken over your life. If it’s hard to sit and take it in, it’s a reminding to us that there’s a lot of swirl out here and in here. So the peace of Jesus guards our hearts and our minds.

So even now, Holy Spirit, I just invite you in to all of our spaces. Will you come and remind us of the Prince of Peace? Will you come and show us what it looks like to have the words spoken over and washing over our life? Will you do what only you can do in this moment? Calm the chaos, bring us your clarity, show us who you are. In Jesus, there is peace.

God is good. Jesus has forgiven you. You are loved. And everything is possible.

The Father’s heart is for you to live free. So he sent Jesus that you may experience life, life to the full. And it all starts by simply receiving his grace. Grace is undeserved favor and supernatural empowerment. Grace not only forgives you but changes you. In Jesus, you are fully forgiven and completely free. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast. He has forgiven your wickedness and remembers your sins no more. He forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are. You are my beloved son, my beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased. In Jesus, you are fully forgiven and completely free. You are loved and wanted. You are holy and righteous.

You are set apart. You are a masterpiece and made in the image of God. You are pure and blameless. You are seen, you are chosen, you are victorious, and you are an overcomer. And as you receive His grace, you will start to experience His presence. You are fully known, fully loved, with no fear of rejection. God is with you. He is above you and below you. He is to your left and to your right. He is in front of you and behind you. He is in you and upon you. His presence is in the very air you breathe.

Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. In His presence is fullness of joy. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present, nor the future, nor any powers, neither height or depth, nor anything else, and all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. God has said, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you. I will be a father to you and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

I pray that you may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. And to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear. What then shall we say in response to this?

If God is for us, who can be against us? God is good and gracious. He is tender and merciful. He is kind and compassionate. He is with you and He is for you. God is love. He is a counselor and a comforter. He is a father and a friend. He is a guide and a companion. He is light and life itself. He is king, lord of all and He is exactly who you need Him to be. And as you experience His presence, you are empowered to release His kingdom. You have been created to rule and reign with God. Your purpose is to bring the reality of His kingdom into the circumstances of this world.

God believes in you so much that He has entrusted His kingdom to you. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Jesus said, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. God blessed you and said, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations. I will build my church and the gates of hell with not overcome it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore, Christ’s ambassadors as though God were making His appeal through us. For nothing is impossible with God. So we pray, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You are made to lead, to create and build, to dream and design, to inspire and encourage, to increase and advance. You are anointed, empowered and commissioned. You are made to laugh and to play, to sing and dance, to preach and prophesy, to heal and to honor, to bless and serve, and give and love.

You are a hope carrier. So repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Now, to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, and so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, for I have overcome the world. God is good. Jesus has forgiven you. You are loved. And everything is possible. The Father’s heart is for you to live free. So he sent Jesus that you may experience life, life to the full.

So then what you see is that life doesn’t have to be peaceful in order for you to peace-filled. And it can be really chaotic around here, out here, but you can still experience peace in here.

And in recent weeks, my youngest daughter has been literally listening to this, to Peace over and over when she goes to bed. And I walk to the house and I’ll hear the words that’s resonating out of her bedroom. And I’ll think to myself like, that’s it. Like all that. That moment right there is that’s the whole point. That’s the thing. For the word of God to be spoken over her heart and her mind and her life. For her to understand more who she is and who God is and what she’s created to do to have peace spoken over her being. So that and this is what’s it’s about. You see, we just had church as the church. We had the word of God spoken over us with the spirit of God in the atmosphere. We had the people of God that we came to gather with today. That is the thing, that is the point.

And so I’m so glad that you joined us today. I’m so glad that Peace is available to us. Man, ValleyCreek+, I encourage you to look that, continue to wash over your family and over your life. We’re going to let this kind of settle as we close service. You are free to leave. You’re also free to stay. You don’t have to rush out of here if you don’t want to. If you need prayer, there’s going to be people down front that want to pray with you and for you. If you want to give, you can -- giving is always a response to the goodness of God, to His peace in your life. You can do that on the box as you go. We’re online at valleycreek.org. But as you go this week, may you go knowing that God is good, Jesus has forgiven you, you are loved and everything is possible. And in Jesus, there is peace.