Tuesday, May 8, 2018 - Ephesians 6:15, The Armor of God, Pt. 16.
Shod Your Feet with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace,
Pt. 8.
Gospel of Peace, Pt. 2.
Lesson # 18 - 050
Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard
Stand in Warfare –
Eph 6:10-20.
3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.
Vs.
15, “And having shod YOUR FEET
WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.”
This peace comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all the
blessings which accompany and flow from our reconciliation to God through
Christ, Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Thes 3:16.
Therefore, we see once again in the “armor of God,” that we stand positionally
in the peace of God, and are to live experientially in the peace of God.
2 Thes 3:16, “Now may
the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.
The Lord be with you all!”
That is why Paul wrote in Rom 5:1; 8:6; 15:13; Phil 4:7; Col 3:15, of the tranquil state of a
soul that is assured of its salvation through Christ, fearing nothing from God,
and consequently content with its earthly lot, whatever it is.
Rom 5:1-2,
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom also we have obtained our
introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope
of the glory of God.”
Rom 15:13, “Now may
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will
abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Col 3:15, “Let the
peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one
body; and be thankful.”
Rom 8:6, “For the
mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and
peace.”
Phil 4:7, “And the
peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.”
This is the direct result of our redemption by Christ, Eph 2:15, 17, and consists primarily of
a state of conscious reconciliation with God, Rom 5:1, God’s peace is independent of outside conditions and is
the fruit of an objective, real salvation with God, arising from reconciliation
with God and a sense of His Divine favor in your life.
John 16:33, “These
things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you
have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
1 Cor 14:33, “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the
churches of the saints.”
When the Bible says “The God of peace,” it also means He is
the author and giver of Divine blessings, Rom
15:33; 16:20; Phil 4:9; 1 Thes 5:23; Heb 13:20.
1 Thes 5:23, “Now may
the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul
and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
Phil 4:9, “The things
you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things,
and the God of peace will be with you.”
Heb 13:20-21, “Now
the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep
through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21equip
you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in
His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
True peace is a blessing of which God alone is the author, Job 25:2; Psa 147:14; Isa 45:7. He, the
author of peace, is the only One who can bestow it upon the righteous, Gen 15:15, upon Abraham; 2 Kings 22:20, upon Josiah, Psa 37:37, upon the perfect man; Psa 119:165, upon those who love God’s
Word, Prov 3:1-2, upon those who
follow Divine wisdom, Psa 4:8; Job 5:23;
Isa 32:17, and therefore upon you.
Thus, it is a gift which God desires to impart to all His
people, Jer 29:11, but which He is
often unable to grant because of their sins, Isa 48:18; and Jer 4:10
cf. Jer 4:14.
Jer 29:11, “For I
know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare (SHALOM) and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
Isa 48:18, “If only
you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being (SHALOM) would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of
the sea.”
There can be no peace to the wicked, Isa 57:19; cf. Isa 57:20-21;
48:22. Those who hope for it, while continuing in their iniquity, are
self-deceived, Jer 6:14; 8:11, 15;
cf. Ezek 13:10, 16. Therefore, peace
speaks of our relation to God, as God grants peace to His people.
As such, the attitude of peace within you is acquired
through your new relationship with God. Satan has declared war, but you and I
are ambassadors of peace, 2 Cor 5:18-21,
as such, we take the Gospel of peace wherever we go. In turn, you affect
your surroundings with peace, as it says in Mat 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Literally it means, “those
who make peace.” Therefore, we as believers in Jesus Christ, the Prince of
Peace, are admonished to bring that peace to and live peaceably with all men,
if it is possible, Rom 12:18; Heb 12:14,
James 3:18.
Rom 12:18, “If
possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
Heb 12:14, “Pursue
peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the
Lord.”
James 3:18, “And the
seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
We are to seek peace and to pursue it, 1 Peter 3:11, especially with our fellow believers, 2 Cor 13:11; Eph 4:3; 1 Thes 5:13; 2 Tim
2:22.
2 Cor 13:11,
“Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded,
live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
“The quiet heart will
be able to fling its whole strength into its work. And that is what troubled
hearts never can do, for half their energy is taken up in steadying or quieting
themselves, or is dissipated in going after a hundred other things. But when we
are wholly engaged in quiet fellowship with Jesus Christ we have the whole of
our energies at our command, and can fling ourselves wholly into our work for
Him. Duty that is done reluctantly, with hesitation, is not done. We must fling
ourselves into the work gladly and be always 'ready for all Thy perfect will'.
Yet. we never shall be, unless we live habitually in tranquil communion with
God, and in the full faith that we are at peace with Him through the blood of
His Son. A quiet heart makes us ready for duty.” (Expositions of Holy
Scripture.)
The Gospel is a peace-bringing power, in the midst of this
picture of warfare. It brings us peace first, and then it says to us, “Now,
having peace in your own heart, go out and fight to keep it and give it to
others.” For, if we are warring with the devil, we are at peace with God; and
if we are at peace with the devil, we are warring with God. Therefore, the two
states of peace and war go together. The two conditions, though they seem to be
opposite, will unite us. This is the paradox of the Christian life.
Jesus was the ultimate One with beautiful feet, who came
with His gospel shoes, announcing peace to Jews and Gentiles. Those who know
Christ have His peace and have this same mission. This is the difference with
our mission and other religious missions. We are not taking life; we are
offering life. We are willing even to lay down our lives, because Christ laid
His down for us, and we know He will raise us up.
All of this means that you stand in peace before God, and
should be enjoying peace in the mentality of your soul at all times. When you
realize these two aspects of peace, you are equipped to share your peace, the
gospel of peace, with others. Thus, the Christian
soldier should see to it that his feet are equipped with the sandals which will
give him a firm footing, namely, the good news that speaks peace to a sinful
heart, for the Lord Jesus made peace by the blood of His Cross, making a way
for a holy God to reunite Himself with a believing sinner who in Adam had been
separated from Him and His life. This is to be to us the protection and
equipment that the sandals were to the Roman soldier. With this, we are
strengthened and protected to face the foe with courage and readiness, Phil 4:6-7; Luke 1:79.
Phil 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to
God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Luke 1:79, “To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the
shadow of death (Isa 9:2), to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Let us hold fast to that Gospel which brings peace and also
gives peace.
~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A
PERSONAL NOTE FOR YOU
If
you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell
you that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you.
God the Father also loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son
for you by sending Him to the Cross. At the Cross Jesus died in your place.
Taking upon Himself all of your sins and all of my sins. He was judged for our
sins and paid the price for our sins. Therefore, our sins will never be held
against us.
Right
where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in
your life. To accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life by truly
believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day
as the proof of the promise of eternal life. So right now, you can pause and
reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:
"Yes Father, I believe that
Your Son, Jesus Christ,
died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."
died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."
If
you have done that, I Welcome You to the Eternal Family of God !!!
Eph
2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: 9 Not
of works, lest any man should boast.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher: James H. Rickard
23 Messenger Street, Unit 3
Plainville, MA 02762
Copyright © 2001 - 2018.
Property of: James H Rickard Bible Ministries
All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment