2009 Spiritual Warfare Series, Part 5
Ephesians 6:10-15
Boots for the
It
was 1985 I was youth Pastor here at CCV Single living w/ a family by the
beach OCSD
A) Morning walk - THE STAIR Doberman
B) I was so glad that I had
some good shoes on that day! -
C) High School baseball game
Outfield Line drive
My
Pt Good Shoes are a necessity!
A) And when talking about soldiers a good pair is vital part of
their equipment
B) Needed for marching /
climbing / running / being sure footed in fighting the enemy!
C)
Shoe of the Roman solider was especially designed / sandal w/ the thickest
leather bottom possible.
1) In the leather was attached nails called
hobnails
D)
When wearing this sandal the solider could step on stakes thorns, rocks -& not be fazed at all!
1) {Ad Campaign Super sandal {Gaius Marius
E) In hand to hand combat
the nails would grab into any surface allowing him to stand steadfast &
fight!
Now
we who are soldiers in the Lords army have been given a special shoe to wear
that we might stand strong against.....
A) That we might move swiftly &
confidently in ministry as well as in our walks
B) Now reading thru this text
we see an emphasis on standing.
1)
Mentioned 4 times in these few verses.
C) We are called to stand up
for the Lord in a world that is becoming more antagonistic against God
1)
Stand against temptation to become carnal
D) We are called to Stand
against the attacks of the enemy to cause us to become Shipwrecked
Now
when we think about standing there are different ways that we stand
concerning the situation
A) The Bible employs
different Hebrew and Greek words to describe those different ways of standing
B) For instance Standing in a line
1) Abiding stand Shifting
weight just abiding
C) Different from a guard
who is standing watch
Alert Stand
D)
That is different from what we might call an at ease stand -
1) Family Photo Do I
really have to do this
2) Amy and Aaron Amanda
Someone say Camera
The
word used here in
A) It looks like this: Hand
are lifted facing my savior Lord I am available I am Ready
B) Bring it on Lord I am
available for whatever you want to do! Where-ever you want me to go.
C) Eagerness Prepared I
know where my strength lies
D) The Point is I am standing
with a purpose!
1) Not just a desire to hold
my ground & not lose ground
E) It is standing with the
goal of gaining ground of moving forward.
That
is huge thing to understand: The Christian life is never meant to be for
standing still
A) Our goal is never to
maintain Always to move forward always to push ahead
B) Always growing line an
offensive linemen in football pushing the defenders aside so the ball can
advance
C)
We can get into serious trouble in the Christian life if we start thinking I
need to maintain
1) Key is how am I growing
D) That is what I want us to
keep in mind tonight as we consider the shoes of Peace
1) The purpose of these
shoes is not just so I dont slip of fall but it is so I can advance in the
faith
There
are 3 things I want to consider tonight about these shoes!
#1 What do these shoes
represent?
#2 How do these
shoes affect my walk?
#3 How do they relate to the
#1 What
do these shoes represent?
A) 1st what it isn't: There is a common misinterpretation
that occurs when talking about - feet being shod w/ prep ... peace!
B) In Romans10:15 - Paul said how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the
gospel of peace: who bring glad tidings
of good things!"
C) Because
of that some have taught that having your feet covered w/ the gospel of peace
means - to be
preaching the gospel
D) But
a simple rule of interpretation in scripture is to take the verse in context w/
rest of passage
This
passage is about standing strong in spiritual battle it is not about
evangelizing!
A) Also - noted last week
these 1st 3 pieces of armor are not pieces you put on
- but already have!
B) Having = past tense - moment you became saved!
C) Not talking about
something you do / but what you have already in Christ
I
will say that knowing what this represents will inspire you to share the gospel
A) Inspire you to be more
bold in your walk!
B) So what do these shoes
represent?-
1) Two Shoes that describe 2
aspects of our relationship with God.
C) 1st shoe
speaks of being at peace with God through Christ.
In
A) Lost and doomed to spend
eternity separated from God.
B) But
God intervened by sending Christ We are justified by faith in Jesus
1) Result we have PEACE WITH
GOD
C) It is knowing your sins are
forgiven, for Christ sake - knowing you have been reconciled to God by the
death of His son!
Cc)
Knowing that when God looks on you it is w/ infinite affection
1)
Cleansed from every speck of sin and accepted in the beloved
D)
Frig: your picture; wallet - your photo
Now
look again at v. 11 Paul instructs us to put on the whole armor of God. So
important
A) Football player runs
out without his helmet
Or Shoulder pads He needs
it all
B) We need it all the
pieces are connected!
1) Next time Above all
taking the shield of faith
C) Why above all it is
because it is thru faith that we appropriate the reality of these first 3
pieces
Starts
with the Truth of Who Jesus is what He did for us on
A) I embrace that by faith
confident in Gods truth
B)
It is the truth that tells me I am now covered in the righteousness of Christ
C) And because I am now
righteous in Christ I can have fellowship with a Holy God
1) I can experience what it
means to be at peace with God.
This is why Paul puts it
this way: feet shod with the Preparation of the
Gospel of Peace.
A) Preparation = equipped
with
B) The message of the Gospel
the truth of the Gospel is that we can be RECONCILED TO GOD!
That
is the peace that every man is seeking! Some unknowingly live trying to fill
the void! Emptiness
A) In
fact a whole sub culture was formed because of their desire & longing after
Peace!
B)
(Created a symbol peace sign)
C) That same
sub culture has been rebirthed many times in the subsequent generations looking
for peace
1) That symbol
has remained
Let
me suggest to you that prior to coming to the Lord all of us were looking for
these shoes / shoes of peace/
A)
Some shopped for these shoes in places like bars & clubs parties (spent a lot of
time & money)
B)
Others sought them in vices like drugs & sexual relationship.
1)
Indulging in those things & places looking for Peace
C) Peace of mind: Peace from the emptiness we felt inside;
Peace from the guilt we
couldn't escape
Peace from the feeling of not knowing
what awaited us
A)
After this life / peace from the feeling of being away ...God
B) But not everyone went the
way of Pleasure & indulgence /no some went to the other extreme
C) Sought in morality -
(they sought to clean up their act - good honest people)
1) So they dabbled in religion
- maybe starting going to church we studied
philosophy and theology
D)
Became very religious it is possible to be religious and not be at peace with
God
1)
Inherit a Christless Eternity!
The peace that FILLS the emptiness inside and RELEAVES the
frustration:
RELEASES THE guilt isn't found in
religion
A)
Not found in philosophy - not found in
knowledge of God but in knowing God!
B)
The peace that covers my feet and helps me to walk swiftly - confidently and Stand Strong & firm
1) Found in only one place /
Found in Jesus!!!!
C) Now once we Know that we
are at Peace with God Through Jesus
1) We are clothed in
that
That then affects our walks : Being
at peace w/ God results in experiencing the peace of God in our
lives! This is the 2nd shoe
Peace of God
A)
When you begin to realize and believe that
God is for you - who can be against you?
B) Results in Confidence!
Bb)
When you begin to believe - His thoughts for you are precious thoughts - future
and hope - affects you -hope!
1)
Realize: knows # of hairs on head
Encouraging - God thinks about you that
much
C.)You are not a # / not a speck in an enormous mass: not a file: on a computer program
1) No - have a name - He knows / you have a heart that he has chosen to live
in!
A)
Why trusting? Belief what He says about me / He cares {Truth
B) That means that I can approach
life knowing that God is for me He is with me!
1) NO FEAR
PSALM 27:1 - The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom
shall I fear? The LORD is the strength
of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
C) That is the attitude of
the man living in the Peace of God!
D) I can step out of the
boat like Peter and walk on water when he says come
E) I can run out to meet the enemy - like David because He is w/ me - I am at peace w/ Him!
1) I can face any situation because He is w/ me!
Peace
is not a hallowed feeling that comes over us in church; it is the result of a
heart set deep in God.
Peace comes not
from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God. Alexander Maclaren
JESUS SAID:
How
does the peace of God differ from the worlds peace!
A) Paul gives us the answer in
B) Do you hear that? Peace that surpasses understanding!
Bb) In the world - I have
peace when I understand what is going on!
C) Doctor
says problem - need to run test? For a week I am a wreck!
1)
Until he says here are the results - here is how we are going to deal with
it! Peace comes
from understanding
D) But
the peace of God is different - It
says I don't know what future holds - know Him who holds the future - Peace
My life is in His
hands! Quiet Confidence
So knowing
I am at peace with God affects my walk in such a way that I can experience the
peace of God
A) Peace that results in
confidence, firmness and effectiveness.
B) That leads us to consider
#3
How does it relate to the battle:
A) Jesus described the enemy
B) Satan seeks to rob us of
our peace!
C) One tactic of the enemy is
to make you feel being at peace with God isn't as easy as just believing in
Jesus /
1)
Loves to get us thinking we must do more)
D)
Jesus plus something else
1)
Not Grace but you need to earn it
One
of the quickest ways to rob us of our peace is to get us on that performance
treadmill -
A) Never can do enough -
always frustrated
B) Instead of just receiving
& enjoying Him / Tries to get us to seek to earn favor we already have!
1)
Not to be earned / can't / just enjoyed!
There is Peace
Major
tactic today: Question truth Postmodernism
A) No absolute truth
brings instability
B) Everyone doing what is right
in their own eyes results in Chaos
C) Buying into
the view that truth is relative and ultimately unknowable in any certain way,
the emerging church has also attacked the atonement of Christ.
D) It
proclaims a tolerant, all-inclusive universalism that does not confront sinners
with their need to repent and believe the gospel.
A) What
is opposite of peaceful setting - stormy - exactly what he seeks to do - bring storms into your
life!
B) What
is the opposite of peace of mind?
Confusion!
He is the author of
confusion: of chaos!
C) Having
my feet shod w/ the preparation of the gospel of peace doesn't mean - I won't
experience storms / confusion
1)
Doesn't mean chaos - won't invade my life!
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world."
D) It is a given that as believers we are going to face
difficulties - but having my feet shod w/ the prep of gospel of peace
1)
Means that I can experience the peace of God in the midst of that situation -
because I know I'm at peace w/ God!
E)
I know that God is not going to abandon me
1) Gave
me Jesus Not going to let me go now!
A) "Master save us" - "Oh ye of little faith" - peace
be still! (point
is He was at rest and He was w/ them: they should have been at rest")
B) Mark
6: - Sends them back - key he sent them
- (storm develops again (this time their fighting it)
C)
That is application of peace of God - not going to give up or freak out - press forward - knowing there is a reason
D) Knowing - My God in His time will
deliver me - come through! (Jesus came walking on water)
E) Shad. Mesh. Abed-Nego - "Our God is able to
deliver" Even if He chooses not to
we wont bow
1)
Peace w/ God - resulted in peace of God!
In midst of fire!
The
Spiritfilled believer who is fully clad in Gods armor can sing confidently
with John Newton,
Though many foes beset you
round,
And feeble is your arm,
Your life is hid with Christ
in God
Beyond the realm of harm.
Weak as you are you shall
not fade,
Or fainting shall not die;
Jesus the strength of every
saint
Will aid you from on high.
Though unperceived by mortal
sense,
Faith sees Him always near,
A guide, a glory, a defense,
What have you to fear?
As surely as He overcame,
And triumphed once for you,
So surely you that love His
name
Shall in Him triumph too.