Sandaled Feet
Notes
Transcript
“Stand with…your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.”
Opening illustration: In 2013, I began to develop a very bad case of indigestion. So, for 24 hours, I treated it with Tums, Pepto Bismol, Rolaids, and lots of water. Severe pain, yet I kept treating the indigestion, until at a church fellowship the next night, Heather Gilliam said I should go to the hospital – I probably had Pancreatitis. As it turned out, I did. What would have happened if, knowing that info, I kept popping Tums instead, because it felt like indigestion?
I was fighting the wrong enemy.
As we get started, I want to remind us again of the nature of the enemy: spiritual forces
Important because when we get mad, it’s usually at people with skin on. That’s misplaced.
The men were talking Friday night of the direction the culture has gone: no civil discourse. No middle ground upon which to reason.
More like verbal civil war than civil discourse. Bleeds into every part of life – even makes us more defensive with one another.
But our conversation was so helpful, because it reminded us of the nature of the fight (and it is a fight!), but it’s not against other people…it’s on behalf of other people!
We covered the belt of Truth a couple of weeks ago. That holds everything together and provides security and is foundational for the armor.
Yet, how often do we hear of Christians taking the belt of truth from around their wastes and begin beating people with it.
That’s not the purpose of the Truth.
The belt of Truth should not be be used to win a fight, or simply defend our own positions or attack the sinners for being sinners. The belt of Truth should be used to set people free. (“You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free” John 8:32).
That brings us to the shoes. Good shoes make good athletes and good soldiers. The proper footwear makes all the difference in performance and is often the difference between success and failure.
Dress shoes are probably not the best choice for cross country running.
Flipflops not great for soccer or mountain climbing
High heels and rubber rafts probably don’t make for a long rafting trip.
Sneakers can make a ballerina faceplant.
The shoes you wear determine how you perform and so it’s important to choose the right shoes for the right occasion.
Again, the way we handle the armor of God (which usually more closely resembles the armor of the flesh we talked about last week that needs to be taken off!), you’d think the best shoes are the best quality army boots, but it’s not.
Paul says it’s the Gospel of Peace. Doesn’t sound right, does it? But I suspect Paul would know. He spent so much of his life fighting what he thought was a battle against godlessness, only to learn he had been fighting the wrong enemy the entire time.
Let’s go back to this idea of warfare that Paul paints for us:
When an army goes into battle, they study the enemy, determine their weaknesses, figure out how to defeat them, then try to draw them into a battle of your design; to get them to fight the way you want them to.
We have to know our enemy –
There are two major schemes he has for the Church:
· Cave in to the culture and accommodate their agendas, making us into puppets of his own agenda, or…
· Fight the culture (a culture war) the same way the culture does…using his weapons.
We can do neither!
We’re called to fight differently. Counter-intuitively, even.
Look at the verse again…
Ephesians 6:15 “Stand with…your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.”
15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.
Have your feet sandaled…
This doesn’t mean slide on some flipflops and get at it.
Spiritually, that would be the equivalent of being familiar with the gospel, but not really feeling confident to even tell someone about it.
This isn’t a noun (pair of sandals) – it’s a verb (“sandaled”).
The image Paul is painting, “sandaled with readiness”, is one of tightly binding on the footwear, so that you are ready to run; ready to take action without stumbling or losing your footing. You’re not going to lose because your footwear let you down.
It’s about the right shoes put on the right way.
This gives us a picture of the nature of the battle that shapes our approach to it.
If we think in terms of “Culture wars”, we think about people fighting each other – the enemy is the opposing side. It’s a seek and destroy mission. For those who think this way, we have to remember the results will be similar to my pancreatitis. Fight the symptom while ignore the cause.
This is not to say it’s not right to take a stand. We should. How we do it makes all the difference.
The nature of the battle we’re to fight is a rescue mission.
We are to run to the battle but it’s with the gospel of peace. Not to “make war” with other people.
What is this “Gospel of Peace”
13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh,
15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.
16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.
17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
13 – The battle belongs to the Lord. Jesus Himself has fought for and provided peace through his blood.
He has already won victory, defeating the enemy through obedience, bringing us near to God through His sacrifice.
11 Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins.
12 But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.
13 He is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool.
14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after he says:
16 This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, the Lord says, I will put my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds,
17 and I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts.
18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
14-15 -- For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.
Dividing wall of hostility was the Law (Jews with and Gentiles without).
Jews said you have to keep the Law and Gentiles didn’t have it. Jews failed to understand the purpose of the Law was to point towards Jesus and reveal our need for Him.
How did he provide a way of reconciliation? He fulfilled the Law on our behalf, leaving it unnecessary,(The Bible is clear Gentiles were never required to keep the Law), replacing it with Himself, so that His righteousness is credited to all who receive it by faith. This is what creates one new man (The Church), resulting in peace.
16-17 -- He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.[c] 17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
We see that He has made peace between God and man, and man and man.
This is what makes the battle a rescue mission. It is to always being ready to use this Good news against the enemy.
1. The gospel protects those vulnerable to being taken captive by the Enemy (ie our children)
Making sure our children understand the gospel and are prepared for the onslaught of the enemies advances in their lives through the cultural revolution.
2. The gospel steals away even the most hardened sinner from the grip of the Enemy as we declare it. (eg Butterfeld)
Hiroo Onoda was an Imperial Japanese Army intelligence officer who fought in World War II and did not surrender at the war's end in August 1945. After the war ended, Onoda spent 29 years hiding in the Philippines until Norio Suzuki, a Japanese explorer and adventurer found him and relayed the message that the Emperor wanted him to come back to Japan.
The war is over. Christ has won. Yet there are so many who still don’t know of that victory. We are fighting the Enemy that wants to prevent them from ever hearing the Good News that there is peace!
Are your feet sandaled up with the readiness for the Gospel of Peace?
Peter said (1 Peter 3:13-16)
13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated,
15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.
“Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them[c] or be intimidated,[d] 15 but in your hearts regard[e]Christ[f] the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
How?
16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused,[g] those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.
Goal of putting on the armor is to "stand firm" This means stand for something -- not to be knocked down.
So I can then run with the gospel of peace. So that my standing can demonstrate to those who are beaten down by sin and death, that the message of the Gospel is true. We need to be ready to share the power through the gospel.
Best done in relationship!
Great commission: “Go…and make disciples...” This usually takes time and commitment.
Get in the Word and get into positions (ministry opportunities) where you can have an eternal affect through the Gospel of Peace.