Drip 3
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Intro
Intro
Week three of our Drip series
This series is all about the uniforms that people wear, and the reason why we wear them
We talked about the clothing athletes wear, and why they wear them
We talked about how a bank robber wears certain clothing
Today I want to look at the shoes people wear
For skateboarders they wear a very specific type of shoe - the bottom of the shoe is going to have a lot of grip, the shoe is going to be flat to ensure that they can stand on the board, the tongue is going to be thick and full of padding to protect their foot, and shoe is going to be made out of strong material to keep it intact as they do tricks on the board
Basketball players wear shoes that are high tops to help protect their ankles as they cut, the shoes have a different type of grip compared to the skateboarder to help them not slide on the hardwood, and the shoe is often bigger and bulkier to keep their foot protected if it gets stepped on
Ballet dancers wear Pointe shoes. These enable the dancer to balance, spin, hop, pounce, slide, and linger on the tips of her toes.
Shoes are something that many people think about, but don’t realize they have an important impact
Well when Paul is writing of the armor that we are to put on he didn’t ignore the shoes
In fact it was the third thing that we are to put on in the war we are facing
The war Paul wants us to be aware of and protected in
The War
The War
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.
Paul tells us that we are in a war
He makes that very clear. And the enemy isn’t people, but it’s Satan
He is orchestrating everything trying to pull us away from God
Trying to keep us in sin, and keeping us away from helping others
Listen to how Peter describes him
8 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering.
He’s a roaring lion seeking to devour us
So to protect against Satan and this war, Paul tells us to put on the armor
We talked two weeks ago about the Belt of Truth
Last week we talked about the Breastplate of Righteousness
Today we are talking about the shoes
Shoes of peace
Shoes of peace
15 by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace,
When Paul is writing about the armor he is looking at the Roman solider, and the shoes of the solider was important
The shoe the soldiers wore was called Caligae
The shoe was made from hard leather so it was protect the foot, it would lace up high to ensure the ankle was supported and protected
But most importantly the shoe had little studs/nails on the bottom. That’s because the soldiers often fought on rocky or mountainous terrain
This would allow the soldier to stand and not slip or fall no matter the terrain they were fighting in
This is the imagery that Paul uses when he is telling us to put on the shoes of peace that comes from the Gospel
He tells us that we need to strap on the peace of the Gospel to be able to stand and withstand the enemy and his attacks
Today I want to look at how the Gospel can give us peace and help us stand firm
Gospel provides security
Gospel provides security
The first way that the Gospel provides peace is this
It provides security
The Gospel provides security
Listen to what Jesus says
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from my Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
Jesus tells us that no one can take us away
Satan cannot snatch us out of the Lord’s hand
Sin will not take us away from God’s hand
Shame cannot take us away from the Lord’s hand
When we believe in Jesus to save us from our sins, we are saved
There is no losing it
Jesus and the Gospel provides security and that should give us peace when we think about the world
Very few things in this world can provide security, yet Jesus provides us with eternal security
He protects us from this world, and gives security in our eternity
It provides answers
It provides answers
The second way the Gospel brings peace is:
It gives answers to life's problems
The Gospel gives us the answers to all of life’s problems
It answers the question why do bad things happen to good people
It answers the question why did _____ happen in my life
The Gospel brings peace by giving us the answer and security in the problems
Here is the answer to all those problems:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Sin entered the world and cause pain
Sin causes us to lose hope
It causes bad things to happen
Sin is the reason there is pain and grief in the world
It’s the reason there is cancer and death
Sin came into the world and it wrecked everything
But here is also what the Gospel tells us about the problems:
28 And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,
Paul writes telling us that God is in control of all things and that He is working it out for our good
So while there is pain in the sin and the world
God is working it out for good for those who trust and believe in Him
He is making it beautiful
The pain you feel - Jesus is working it out
The grief - He is making it for our good
The Gospel provides answers to all of life’s hard questions
We may not understand them, but we know sin caused them, and Jesus is redeeming them
It gives purpose
It gives purpose
The third way the Gospel provides peace is this
It gives us purpose
As we’ve been talking about in Grow Group, shout out if you’ve been coming, everything done apart from God is worthless
Yet the Gospel gives us purpose and a reason for living
One of the biggest sources of stress and fear in life is “what will you do with your life”
What is your purpose on earth? Is anything even worth it?
With the Gospel, it provides peace by giving us a purpose for our life
Listen to Jesus words to us
18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This Gospel message is how people are saved
And Jesus gives us the job and purpose of sharing that message with those that are lost
We are to share the Gospel message
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”
That is every single person’s purpose and mission in life
Rather you become a doctor, a pastor, a cashier, or anything in between, your purpose is to share the Gospel
In this purpose it’s important to remember that we are called to share, not called to save
You can’t save someone, I can’t save someone, you can’t make someone believe in Jesus and what he’s done, we are only called to share the Gospel message
We are only called to tell of Jesus’ perfect life, death, burial, and resurrection
There is peace in knowing that we are called to share the Gospel and nothing more
Everything else in life, like Solomon in Ecclesiastes says is Vanity
It’s good for enjoyment, but nothing more, only Jesus matters
Only sharing the Gospel message
So we are to let the Gospel bring us peace by knowing that our life is only measured by what we do with the Gospel and nothing more
Conclusion
Conclusion
The shoes of a Roman soldier were extremely important
It’s protected the feet of the soldier in all terrain
It kept them from sliding or slipping when in war
The same is true of the Gospel for us
It gives us peace in life
The world is crazy and the Gospel gives us security
When Satan is attacking you, the Gospel gives peace that Jesus has you
The Gospel offers an answer to life’s hard questions
Sin caused it, but Jesus is redeeming it
He is working it out for our good!
The Gospel gives us peace by giving us a purpose for our life
When you know Jesus your purpose is to share His message and enjoy life
The pressure for what you will do and be is off
Let the gospel bring peace to your life