The Shoes That Bring Good News

[00:00:01] Thanks for tuning in to the Met Church podcast. Here at the Met, we are all about connecting people to God and one another. If you have any questions or want more information about what's happening here at the church, then head to our [email protected] we would love to stay connected with you throughout the week through social media, so be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter now. Enjoy the message. [00:00:24] Well, I believe a congratulations is in order to each of you because you've accomplished something oh so significant today. This day on daylight savings weekend where you lose an hour, you made it to church on time. Come on, somebody be proud of yourselves there. [00:00:40] It's not that we doubted 11 o' clock service, the sleeping in, late brunch eating crowd. You did it. You proved us right. We thought it was gonna happen. But would you do me a favor? Would you just high five the punctual person in your family who deserves some credit this morning of getting you here on time? [00:00:57] Way to go. [00:00:59] We're winning. We're winning this morning and we're stack up those wins. We're going to keep putting some points on the board as we dive back into the series we've been in for the past couple of weeks. It's called Invisible War. It's all about spiritual warfare, that is that there's a battle, a real battle going on right now between good and evil, and we're stuck right in the middle of it. By show of hands, how many of you have come to any one of the previous three weeks during this series? Raise your hands. Awesome. If you haven't been here, welcome back. Let me ask you this. Has it been helpful to you at all? You feel a little bit more equipped, a little more encouraged? [00:01:31] Okay, I won't tell Bill. No. He was great. He's amazing. If you have not heard any of the previous sermons, please go back and watch it. Bill really has done a masterful job of helping us make sense of the chaos that's in our world and helping us have more confidence and capability to stand firm, stay in the fight, and win this fight. What is this fight? What is this battle? Well, the apostle Paul, he outlined some of the specific elements of this spiritual war, the spiritual battle that we're in in the latter part, chapter six, to be exact, of his letter to the church in Ephesus we know as Ephesians. This is our base text. Like, this is the foundational scripture that we're utilizing in order to build a case for us fighting this spiritual fight. So let's Take a look at this verse. [00:02:15] It should sound familiar to you if you've been with us for the past couple of weeks. Ephesians chapter 6, beginning verse 11 through 12 will be up on the screen. Here's what Paul says. Put on all of God's armor, which we'll be unpacking in this series, so that you will be able to stand firm against the strategies of the devil. For we're not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the un seen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Couple observations to make right now. Paul has clearly laid out he's defined who the real enemy is. And it turns out it's not our spouse, it's not our kids, it's not the boss, it's not a political party or particular ideology. [00:03:03] Those may be entities, those may be individuals that at times drive you crazy and are frustrating and are a source of grief. And maybe there are times when they do need to be confronted and challenged in a biblical way, mind you. But that's not the real enemy. Paul lays it out very clearly. He says that you have an unseen. I have an unseen enemy. Even though we can't see it with our eyes, it doesn't mean there's not stuff happening in the background. The unseen realm. It is the devil and his cohort of demons. Now, what you have to understand is that he's like a roaring lion. I like how Peter, he gives us that word picture so we can really understand the nature, the craven nature of the devil. He says in First Peter, chapter five, verse eight, your enemy there it is the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. [00:03:56] The devil has no virtue. [00:03:59] He's not looking to cut deals and do favors. [00:04:02] He has one singular agenda and that's to cut us to pieces. [00:04:06] And he's relentless at doing that. But even though he's a formidable foe, we've got good news. [00:04:13] He's a defeated foe. [00:04:15] Bill's already talked about that. But let me just remind you that Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, he stepped down from heaven to earth, put on flesh, became man, lived a life of sinless perfection. The life we were intended to live but can't, died the death we deserve, was buried, rose again three days later. Essentially, he defeated sin, conquered the grave, and he undid the works of the devil to try to steal, kill and destroy. Here's what it means for us as believers that in Christ we are freed from the Wages of sin and death. We have new life now, abundant life in today and eternal life in tomorrow. Spoiler alert. Here's what it means. We don't fight for victory. We fight from victory. Come on, put your hands together if you believe that today, it's good news. [00:05:05] Now, what's interesting to me is that when it comes to the spiritual battle, that some people are, like, obsessed with darkness, while other people totally deny darkness as if it doesn't exist. You may know people who fall on one of the two ends of the spectrum. Like, let's say it's someone who. Who's just obsessed with the spiritual war that's going on, and they see demons everywhere. Like, it's everywhere. They got a slow Internet connection. Lost the devil. He's after me. Not today, Satan. We're gonna pull that person aside and go, chill out, bro. It's bad wifi, man. Like, not every problem in our lives is an assault of the devil on us sometimes. It's just we live in a broken world. [00:05:48] Now, on the flip side, let's not be so naive and ignorant as the Bible says of the schemes of the devil, because he absolutely is at work. [00:05:57] He's called the prince of the power of the air. He's moving, and he's looking to be a menace to society. [00:06:05] So we have to be aware of this so that way we can properly have a healthy awareness of the spiritual war. I think that's what Paul's getting at. He doesn't want us to be darkness obsessed with. He wants us to have a healthy awareness of the battle that's going on. And here's why. Because you can't defeat an enemy you don't define. [00:06:23] And that's why Paul went to great lengths of defining the enemy. But not only that, defining our weaponry. See, that's what Paul does is we pick up in Ephesians 6:13. [00:06:34] Here's what we read. [00:06:36] Oh, actually, let me back up. I apologize. Let me help you. Oh, yeah, where is. There it is. Okay, I'm getting my head of myself. I apologize. [00:06:46] So what the enemy does is he's got these strategies. There it is. When you look at this verse, verse 11, he said that we have to stand firm against the strategies of the enemy. Well, there's a Greek word that we get the word strategies from. It's called method. [00:07:00] Method. That's where we get our word. Method. Here's what it means. It means that the devil has fairly reliable and predictable methods, that he kind of has a playbook, and he doesn't really Change it up. He kind of does the same thing over and over and over again. And Pastor Bill talked about that at length the past couple of weeks. But let me just summarize it for you. Here are the strategies, the methods of the enemy. It's to cause us to doubt God, deny God, defy God, and if we do, here's the byproduct. Division, distraction, destruction. Oh, I like how the author of Les Miserables, how he said this. [00:07:35] In that story, that fame story, he says this Victor Hugo, a good general must penetrate the brain of his enemy. And that's so true. If we're gonna fight against the enemy, we gotta know what he's thinking and how he's thinking, how he's going about attacking us. And thankfully, the Bible lays it all out there. But here's what I did. [00:07:58] I wanted to illustrate this a little bit further. [00:08:00] And so I don't know if this is really a good idea, but I went to this wonderful tool we call ChatGPT. [00:08:08] You ever heard of it before? [00:08:09] Maybe you've used it a time or two. [00:08:12] And I asked ChatGPT this question. [00:08:16] If you were the devil, and maybe you are. [00:08:22] If you are the devil, ma', am, sir, chatgpt, antichrist, whatever. Whatever you are, what would you do? [00:08:31] And the response that was generated shook me in my shoes. [00:08:35] Buckle up for this. Here's what ChatGPT said. If ChatGPT were the devil, here's what he would do. It'll be up on the screen, so you can follow along with me. [00:08:46] If I were the devil, I wouldn't waste my time trying to get you to worship me. No, I'd just convince you not to worship God at all. I'd tell you truth is relative. Your truth, my truth. Until nobody knows which way is up. I'd whisper, as long as you're happy, it's right. I'd keep you busy. Too busy for prayer, too busy for church, too busy to ask eternal questions. I'd fill your hands with a phone so you never have time to fold them in prayer. [00:09:14] I'd break families, get fathers absent, marriage is bitter and kids confused. [00:09:18] If I can fracture the home, I can fracture the future. [00:09:22] I divide the church. Petty arguments, comparison, offense, celebrity, culture. If I can get Christians fighting each other, they'll never fight me. [00:09:31] I desensitize you. I glamorize sin in movies, normalize it in music, laugh at it in comedy, and celebrate it in culture. Until what once shocked you now entertains you. [00:09:42] I'd attack your identity. [00:09:44] I'd make you Question who you are, where you belong, and whether you even matter. I'd whisper shame so loud you can't hear God's voice of love. And through it all, I wouldn't even try to prove that I exist. [00:09:56] My greatest trick is convince you I'm not real. Because if you don't believe I'm real, you'll never resist. [00:10:06] Now, I don't know if this is okay to do, but can we just. Amen, Chatgpt. [00:10:11] I mean, what in the world did that not precisely address? The chaos we see in our world? [00:10:20] Look, the enemy, he is afoot. We do not need to be ignorant of his schemes. It is so obvious we have to open up our eyes. Here's what I want you to know as our eyes are open today. [00:10:31] We can't fight a spiritual enemy unless we have spiritual weapons. [00:10:36] We gotta have spiritual weapons. And that's exactly what Paul was getting into when he laid out the armor. He said, don't be ignorant. [00:10:44] There's a real spiritual enemy. He hates you because God loves you, and he hates what God loves. [00:10:50] Don't be ignorant of his methods. [00:10:52] It's pretty predictable. We see what he's doing now with that. Stand firm, stay in the fight, win the fight. And here's how you're gonna do it. Ephesians, chapter 6, verse 13. Paul lays it out. Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Sounds like the times we're in right now. Then after the battle, you will be standing firm, stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. Other translations say the breastplate of righteousness for shoes. Put on the peace. That comes from the Good News so that you will be fully. [00:11:31] I want to give you some context here and what's taking place. So Paul, as he's writing this letter to the church in Ephesus, he's in. He's in prison. [00:11:39] And you can imagine that as he's sitting there in this damp, dark, Dungeness cell that he notices this Roman soldier who's outfitted with all the essentials he needs to fight this fight. [00:11:52] And he puts pen to paper, and as he's examining all the different pieces of this body armor, he makes a correlation between that and the armor that God has made available to each of us. This is absolutely fascinating. There are six pieces of armor that Paul describes as worn by the Roman soldier, two of which we've already covered in this series. That is the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. And then he notices the shoes. He notices the shoes. And that brings me to the title of my message today. Here's what it is. [00:12:23] The shoes that bring good news. [00:12:26] The shoes that bring good news. I don't know if you're in a place today where you're going. I need to hear some good news. [00:12:32] It's coming. The good news is coming to you today. So here's what we wanna do. [00:12:38] I want us to unpack the idea of shoes. Cause Paul was laborious in detailing all of these pieces of armor. Not so we can just read it quickly and not think anything about it, but so we can really take a step back and go, wait, whoa, whoa, whoa. When you said shoes, you talking about stilettos? What are we talking about here? Like, why did you even remark about the shoes? All right, we're going somewhere here. Now, I would imagine that every single person. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume everybody in here is wearing shoes. [00:13:07] Fair to say we actually had a guy show up at church barefoot one day, and it's like, come as you are. [00:13:13] Just come back different next time. Okay, so we're all wearing shoes. [00:13:18] And I would imagine that your reasoning for. For selecting your shoes fell into one of three categories. You either selected shoes out of coordination, comfort, convenience. All right, now it's time for audience participation. [00:13:34] Don't be. Don't. There's no shame in your game. All right, so be honest here. How many of you put on shoes for coordination purposes? You wanted to look cute, you want to look good. Everything's matching. Okay, thank you. Appreciate that. How many of you put on shoes for comfort? [00:13:49] Okay, we're all showing our age right now. All right, how many of you put on shoes out of convenience? Like you don't care? Whatever shoes are closest to the door. There it is. These are our party people. Carefree. Let's hang out with them. I love that. So you took one of those three thoughts into consideration to determine what shoes you're gonna wear. But I should also say that you probably asked yourself this question. [00:14:13] What am I going to be doing today? [00:14:16] Because every shoe is designed for a specific purpose. And before you pick up that shoe and put it on, you want to make sure you're prepared for the day's activity. [00:14:25] All right, to illustrate this a little bit further, I'm going to show some pictures of different types of shoes, and I want you to say aloud what activity those shoes are designed for. [00:14:36] Got it. All right, let's Take a look at the first shoe. [00:14:42] Golf. They're golf. If you don't see those little spikes, trust me, if you went running in these, it would be a whole disaster. These are golfing shoes. They're designed specifically for playing golf. I know. The spikes are, like, really, really, really small there. These are golfing shoes. Okay, Good job. Most of you got it correct. All right, take a look at the next one. [00:15:00] Tap dancing. Hey, little known fact, I'm about to drop a little factoid on you right now, okay? Pastor Corey used to be an incredible tap dancer. [00:15:09] Incredible. [00:15:10] I pointed him out last service. He was sitting right over there. People rushed to go get his autograph. It was amazing. He'll be out in the lobby. Say hi. He's like a modern day Charlie Chaplin. Insane, incredible, talented guy. Okay, the next one here. You ready? [00:15:24] I don't know. It's kind of versatile, isn't it? Cowboy boots. I mean, you wear them, you go on the rodeo, you're riding a horse, you're working at the ranch, line dancing. But, hey, in Fort Worth, Texas, it's a typical Tuesday, baby, you just went to the grocery store, driving around town. Hello. [00:15:41] All right, here's the last one. This one's kind of tricky. What would be the goal with these shoes right here? [00:15:50] Probably to never go on a date the rest of your life. That's what it is right there. That's what that. No, I'm kidding. Some of you are going, the one day I'll wear Crocs to church. You know, they're cool. They're cool. They're cool. I own a couple pair of them. I don't wear them in public, but I own them. They're like house shoes for me. [00:16:08] So the shoes are designed for a specific purpose. [00:16:14] This is what Paul wanted us to picture when we think about the shoes. The intentionality, the specificity, the design. What are they used for? Now, let me show you a picture of the Roman soldiers ship shoes that he likely would have seen in the first century in Rome. Okay? Put a picture of it up right there. Those are called caligi. Caligi. All right? Now, you'll notice that on the bottom of the shoes, what they would do is they would drive nails into the bottom of them and then obviously cut them off so that it would effectively turn them into cleats. [00:16:46] Turn them into cleats. [00:16:48] Here's why. [00:16:50] Everything about this shoe is designed for spiritual warfare, primarily to provide stability and mobility. [00:17:00] We need both in this spiritual war that we're in. We need both stability and mobility. So what you have to understand about Roman soldiers, the vast majority of them, when they're in combat, it's hand to hand. There's no launching supersonic missiles with laser technology to guide them from, from afar. [00:17:22] It's like a wrestling match. I mean, you're having to get close up and personal with the enemy, which, by the way, it's personal for the devil. [00:17:29] It's personal. He's all up in your space. [00:17:32] And so just like the Roman soldier had this hand to hand combat, we too need to have stability in the cleats. They would firmly plant him in the ground, so when the enemy would attack, he could stand firm and withstand the attacks of the enemy. See, a soldier that has a firm stance can withstand the attack of the enemy. [00:17:53] So not only do we need to stand firm, we also need to have mobility. Stability and mobility. [00:18:01] See, what God doesn't want is he doesn't want you just to be a sitting duck and to say, well, I guess I'm just supposed to be in this defensive posture my whole life and just take the arrows as they come and be a victim. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You stand firm. Cause you gotta brace yourself when the enemy attacks. And oftentimes you don't know what's gonna happen. But once you realize he's attacking my parents, he's attacking my kids, he's attacking my wife, it's personal. [00:18:26] Now it's time to not only stand firm and be stable, now it's time to move forward and be mobile. [00:18:33] See, God wants us to take ground. See, a soldier isn't just supposed to stand firm and hold ground. They're supposed to stand, step out and take ground. Come on, somebody. Here's what it means. Maybe for you, God is saying, it's time for you to take back what the enemy has stolen. [00:18:49] Maybe it's simple. Maybe you're just gonna do a Bible study in your workplace. [00:18:54] I'm gonna take a step out. Maybe for you, I'm gonna rearrange some of my schedule so I can step back into my home. Cause the greatest gift I can give to my family is presence. And so I'm gonna be present more for my spouse, for my kids. Or maybe you're gonna step into a ministry. We got plenty of them around here. What is it? Just think about it. What is God? What is he calling you to step into? [00:19:15] Not just stand firm, do that. But be mobile and move forward. Here's what you have to know. You have to know the enemy's attacking. [00:19:23] He's attacking you. [00:19:25] And the reason why I point that out is because I think sometimes people think that becoming a Christian means that you punch your ticket toward a low maintenance, hassle free life. That's a lie. [00:19:35] When you become a follower of Jesus, the birthmark of a believer is a bullseye. [00:19:40] Because now the enemy's going to attack you. [00:19:42] When you become a follower of Jesus, you gain a heavenly father, but you also gain a hellish enemy. [00:19:48] Now we already know where the victory is. The victory is in Jesus. We don't have to fight for victory. You fight from victory. But we have to realize that we are under attack. And we got to stand firm and we got to be mobile, have stability and mobility. [00:20:02] So here's my question. Let's go back to the shoes. [00:20:05] Which shoes are you wearing? [00:20:10] I wonder if some of us limped into service today with spiritual blisters because we're wearing the wrong shoes. [00:20:24] Maybe we're not wearing shoes at all. [00:20:26] Here's what you have to know. [00:20:28] You can't win the right battle with the wrong shoes. [00:20:34] We gotta put our shoes on. [00:20:36] Remember I said earlier that there are three, really three considerations as to which shoes you wear. It's convenience, it's comfort, it's coordination. But there's actually a fourth. The fourth one is for believers. And it's calling that there are shoes that God has called us to put on. [00:20:53] It's a specialized shoe, mind you. Now, here's what you probably know about specialty shoes. They're hard to get ahold of. They're hard to find, right? They're fairly rare. They're limited in supply, and they don't come in all sizes. You know, you find the specialty shoe you want and like, yes, great. They don't have the size that I need. Of course. [00:21:09] This specialized shoe that God has called us to put on, it's widely available. It comes in men's, women's, children's. It comes in a full range of sizes. [00:21:19] This shoe is one that is for wide feet, it's for narrow feet, it's for cracked feet and hairy feet. Come on. Now. This shoe is so versatile. You can wear it inside, you can wear it outside. You can dress it up for formal occasions, you can dress it down for casual occasions. This is a shoe that you can wear in any and every environment. You can wear it to the gym, you can wear it to the grocery store, you can wear it to the boardroom, you can wear it in the bathroom. Hello. You can wear this shoe anywhere. Now, some of you, maybe you're like, Me? You borderline germaphobe, Anybody? Borderline? I'm not there completely. I'm borderline. So when we come to my house, it's what? [00:21:53] Take off your shoes. Well, here's what I'm trying to tell you. These shoes, don't take them off. They make for great house shoes. I would encourage you to keep these shoes, lace them up and leave them on at all times. Okay, What. What are we talking about? What are these, specialized shoes? Well, let's just take a look and see what Paul says. Be reminded Ephesians 6:15, he says, Four shoes. [00:22:15] Put on the peace that comes from the good news so that you will be fully prepared for us to have stability and mobility in our lives as a Christian, we've got to put on the right shoes. That is the shoes of peace. [00:22:31] You can't find peace at a bookstore. You can't get peace on Amazon. The peace is not a product. The peace is a person. [00:22:39] How do we put on the shoes? We put on the Lord Jesus Christ. [00:22:42] It's hope and faith in him and him alone. That is where our peace comes from. [00:22:49] There is peace available for the believer. If you're taking notes, write point one. Ready? Peace is what I have because Christ lives in me. [00:22:59] Peace is what I have because Jesus, he lives in me. I want you to know that this is so important because oftentimes when people's lives are unstable, they don't know why their lives are unstable, which is why they continue to stay in an unstable pattern. [00:23:12] Oftentimes it's because they're allowing their life to be guided by emotions or culture or circumstance. And that is a. That's you punching a ticket for a roller coaster of a life you can't ever seem to get off. You see, that's not what Christians are called to do. They're not called to a roller coaster. They're called to a rhythm called peace. They're called to peace. And we really can access this peace in Jesus. Oh, I love this. In John 14:27, Jesus says, Peace, I leave with you. [00:23:40] Peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. God's peace is different from the world's peace, okay? And I might be stepping on some toes right now. So I'm sorry, not sorry. The world's peace comes in the form of a pill and a bottle. [00:23:57] That's escapism. [00:24:00] That's looking for temporary relief. [00:24:03] God's peace comes through the person of Jesus Christ and Maybe you're sitting here going, well, I'm a believer, but I don't have peace at all. Let me tell you, it's not your fault. Sometimes we can get so caught up on the chaos, we forget about the calm that Jesus wants to give us. And there's really like, three things. And I wish I could take more time to unpack this. I just don't have time. Three things you can do to restore your peace. Okay, it's a person. Here's what it is. It's about prayer, proximity, and practice. [00:24:27] It's prayer. [00:24:28] It's talking to God. Remember what Paul says in Philippians 4, verse 6, don't be anxious about anything. But in all things, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds. In Christ Jesus. It's prayer. I gotta stay connected to God in prayer, in proximity. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, he says, Come to me and I'll give you rest. [00:24:54] Come to me. Not to Netflix, not to Facebook. Come to me and I'll give you rest. And there's practice. Bill talked about last week how righteous living will help you. [00:25:06] It'll help you have peace. Why? Because Proverbs says that a man with integrity walks securely. Like, I don't have to worry about, is anybody gonna find out what I've done? And is anybody to catch me? No, no. You have peace. Cause you're living. You're practicing a righteous life. Peace is available. [00:25:20] And I got good news for you that if today you're going, there's something I'm facing that doesn't make sense. It's illogical. It feels demonic. I feel overwhelmed. Something spiritual is happening. I can't make sense of it. I've got good news for you today, and that is that God says, well, I've got a peace that makes no sense. I can give it to you that if you're in a jarring situation, I've got joy that is bigger. But you gotta come to me and be reminded that peace is a person. It's in the personhood. [00:25:46] Jesus. [00:25:47] Peace isn't the absence of conflict. It's the presence of Christ. [00:25:54] Reminds me of the story of this little girl. She's on a plane. [00:25:57] She's flying solo this day. And when they got to cruising altitude, they experienced some pretty significant turbulence. I mean, everybody is just being shaken to and fro, and it's really, really frightening. Everyone's screaming, losing their minds, thinking that this is the end. They're all going to die. And yet this little girl just kind of remains quiet and calm in the midst of the storm. [00:26:18] And once the storm subsides and the turbulence ends, a seasoned passenger sitting next to her looked over and in just great amazement said, sweetheart, how is it that everybody is losing their minds? And you're sitting there so peaceful, so calm. Here's what she said. She said, well, it's because I know who's flying the plane. [00:26:38] And he said, who's flying the plane? And she sweetly said, my daddy. [00:26:44] My daddy's the pilot, and I trust that he has everything under control. [00:26:50] We're gonna experience turbulence in life. Everybody knows that, right? You don't need me to tell you that. I've got some good news, and that's that you know who the pilot is? [00:26:59] The pilot is Jesus. [00:27:03] He is our peace. And in the middle of the tempest storm, he can bring calm. You know, in the center of the storm is the eye, where there is peace. Right in the middle of all the mess, there's Jesus. He's right there with you. And can I just say this? [00:27:17] Because Jesus conquered the grave, he can balance your checkbook. [00:27:24] He can repair the broken relationship. He can help you find a job that you need. [00:27:29] He is the Prince of Peace. And the Prince of Peace himself lives in you. Colossians 2, 20. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. So peace is what I have in me, because Jesus lives in me. I can have peace because Jesus lives in me. Okay, write down point number two. If you're taking notes, just remember note takers that note takers have 83% more peace than non note takers. Okay, just throwing that out there, making sure you're still engaged. Boy, I wish I could give you that promise, you know? Okay, point number two, peace is what I make because Jesus works through me. So point number one, peace is what I have because Jesus lives in me. Peace is what I make, because Jesus works through me. When you're in the middle of a crisis, you can have peace because Jesus is in you. But sometimes you're not in the middle of the crisis, but other people are. And here's what God is calling us to do, to keep our shoes on and that we're supposed to be mobile. Remember mobility? Be mobile and step into the conflict to bring calm to chaotic situations. [00:28:24] Here's what it means. When a believer walks into a room, things ought to get better. [00:28:30] They're supposed to. Like when a Christian is online, it should be less dramatic, less divisive. [00:28:39] When a Christian steps into a home, there ought to be a calmness. There ought to be a peace. [00:28:45] Because you're perfect. No, because he is. And if I'm accessing the peace that God has made available through, then perhaps I can bring calm in your workplace. There should be a little bit more peace when you're around. Why? Because the prince of peace is going wherever you go. And surely I will be with you always. Even at the very end of the age is the promise that Jesus has made to us. Now you might be saying, hold up. [00:29:09] You don't know my spouse, you're not raising my kids, and you don't have my boss. [00:29:17] And if you did, you would just forget everything you just said about stepping in and bringing peace. [00:29:24] I get it. I do. I know this is easier said than done. And I hear you, and I believe you. I'm sure that they are the problem. [00:29:34] You've contributed absolutely nothing to the chaos. I believe you. I believe you. Let's say that's true. Let's go to my favorite verse in scripture. Oh, my word. This has served me so well so many times in my life. Romans 12:18. [00:29:49] Listen to what it says. This is Paul speaking. [00:29:53] If it is possible. [00:29:56] Meaning sometimes it's not. If it is possible. [00:29:59] As far as depends on you. [00:30:03] Here's what Coach Paul is saying. Control what you can control. [00:30:07] I'm only in charge of my thoughts, my emotions, my reactions, what I say, what I. What I do. I'm not responsible for whether or not you apologize. I'm not responsible for how much you contributed to the breakdown of the relationship. All I'm responsible for is to forgive, to take ownership of, and to try to bring repair to a broken relationship. That's all I'm responsible for. So far as it depends on me. What? Live at peace with everyone. The Greek word for everyone is everyone. [00:30:37] Even people who are just jerks, people who are loathsome, people who have cats for pets, like all that stuff. I'm kidding. [00:30:46] You're still with me. [00:30:49] Jesus said in Matthew 5, 9, Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are the peacemakers. Notice he didn't say, blessed are the peacekeepers. [00:30:59] You know why a peacekeeper is passive? [00:31:03] They just sit on their hands. I just hope a fight doesn't break out. [00:31:07] And I'm just gonna believe this superficial harmony is actually real. Just keep the peace. Nobody say or do anything. Shh. [00:31:16] Peacemaker isn't passive. A peacemaker is active. I'm stepping into the conflict to try to bring real harmony. Real shalom. You Know what shalom is? It's wholeness to the situation. Now it may not be possible, but as far as it depends on me, I'm gonna do what I can. Cause the Prince of Peace has given me that command. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna try to be at peace with everyone in every situation. Okay, so let's review. Peace is what I have because Jesus lives in me. Peace is what I make because Jesus works through me. Alright, last point. Point number three. Peace is what I bring because Jesus commanded it of me. Peace is what I bring. [00:31:58] What are you bringing to the table? [00:32:00] Are you bringing peace? [00:32:02] Jesus has given us a command. It's not just for pastors or people who vocationally do ministry, missionaries and the like. [00:32:11] It's for lay people. Here's what the commission is. You know this, it's in Matthew 28. This is the Great Commission, not the Great Recommendation, by the way. Here's what Jesus says. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and, and the Holy Spirit. To put it plainly. Here's the commission. Jesus is saying, put on your good news shoes, the shoes of the good news of my gospel. And I want you to go into spaces and help people be made reconciled to me. You help in that process. [00:32:43] You do your job, I'll do my job. He wants us to bring that good news. Now I've never met a single Christian who looked at this as a recommendation and was like, no thanks. Like every Christian I know really wants people to know Jesus. Cause we know what the stakes are. [00:33:00] We want everybody to step out of death and into life, out of darkness and into light. They were once lost, but now they're found. We all want that, don't we? We do. So the problem isn't want to. The problem is how to. A lot of times we just don't even know how to bring the good news. I got my shoes on, but I don't know where to step and I don't want to step on anybody's toes. So. So help me out. So here's what I'm. I'm super practical. Like this is going to be the most practical thing you've ever heard, hopefully about how to bring the good news to people. Because I think oftentimes we misunderstand how people get saved. [00:33:30] I think oftentimes we look at people getting saved. Like Paul got saved, the Apostle Paul who wrote this letter. And here's what happened to Paul. Paul went from in an instantaneous flash of A moment he went from a religious terrorist to an apostle, like, bam. I mean, he's on his way to Damascus, ready to murder Christians. He went from a prosecutor to a pastor, like in one twinkling of an eye when he met Jesus. That's called a light switch. Salvation, meaning happen right now, death, life. [00:33:59] But what I'm trying to tell you is that's not how most people get saved. It happens. It's not. Doesn't happen to most people. I would argue most people, their salvation experience is less like a light switch and more like a dimmer switch. [00:34:11] You know, dimmer switches. It's a progression over time. It's more like Peter. I would argue we don't know exactly when Peter's conversion was. [00:34:21] I would suggest you maybe it's more like a dimmer switch. Theologians kind of debate about this. Was it the time whenever Jesus said, hey, bro, come follow me, like, early on, maybe. Was it whenever Jesus was on the Sermon on the Mount side? Whenever Jesus gives that Sermon on the Mount speech, and he now has for the first time, a logical understanding of the Gospel? Perhaps, Was it later on when Jesus point blank said, hey, who do you say that I am? He said, jesus, you're the Christ, the Son of the living God. Maybe it was that moment, or perhaps it was after the resurrection, when Peter genuinely demonstrated repentance, when Jesus says, peter, do you love me three times, as a way to kind of counteract the three times Peter denied him earlier, before the resurrection. Maybe it was that moment. We don't know. But here's what I suggest to you. Maybe it was more over time, a culmination of experiences that led Peter to a moment where he said, I. I'm giving my life to Jesus. [00:35:08] So what I want to just suggest to you today, I want to give you a little bit of an illustration so you can kind of see how this plays out in real life. So I've got here some tape on the floor, and I've got 10 pieces of tape. And I want you to think that this represents someone's journey to Jesus. [00:35:22] It's like a spiritual continuum. So over here is step 10. I'm 10 steps away from Jesus. [00:35:28] And then over here is step zero when a person says, all right, I give up. I need you, Jesus. I give you my life. Okay? So what ends up happening is people make a mistake when they think it's their job to get somebody from step 10 all the way to step 0 in one conversation. [00:35:48] They have to, in one conversation, convince them that they were dead in their sin. And they need Jesus so they can become made alive. [00:35:54] And I'm telling you, if you feel like you have to do everything in one conversation, you will do nothing. And that's what most people do, Nothing. Cause it's just too hard. How in the world can I convince somebody? Okay, so let me break it down. Our job actually isn't to get them from step 10 to step 0 in one conversation. [00:36:09] Our job is to discover where they are in the continuum and meet them right there and then just help them take the next step. [00:36:23] Now, I can do that. [00:36:25] Can you? [00:36:26] Let me give you an example. Let's say there's a person who's at step nine, and they had a stereotypical view of a Christian, just judgmental and jerks, hateful and tell everybody what to do and not to do. You know, this person's here. And then this person has, like, a positive encounter with a Christian, which totally exploded their viewers of what a Christian really is and should and can be. And so after having this positive interaction, they're kind of like, huh, this person actually is kind of nice and caring. [00:37:00] Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe one step. Or let's say that you're in the medical field. Maybe you're a nurse, maybe you're a doctor or whatever, and there's a patient who is under your care, and you're stepping into their life in a very difficult time. [00:37:15] Maybe it's a hard diagnosis to receive, or maybe it's treatment that's very difficult. And in that moment, you're showing up for them because you have to, because of your job. But now you show up for them because you want to, because of your real job, the Great Commission. [00:37:30] So maybe you just say something like this, Hey, I hope this is not inappropriate. My heart is not to offend you, but I just want you to know I'm a Christian, and I believe God sees you and he cares. Would it be okay if I pray for you? [00:37:46] Maybe they say yes, and you pray for them. You say a short prayer, not a long prayer, because that's kind of awkward. It's a short prayer, Short prayer, short prayer. And then after that, you leave and they go their way. And maybe that person contemplates. [00:37:57] Huh? [00:37:58] I don't know if I believe in the God they're praying to, but, man, I just felt supported and cared for in that moment. [00:38:05] Huh? [00:38:06] And. And let me give you a little evangelism, hack, okay? [00:38:09] It's called three Questions Deep. Three Questions Deep. You know, in our culture today, everyone has acquaintances. [00:38:16] Nobody has any friends. [00:38:18] Nobody knows anything about anybody. It's surface level. Hey, how are you? Fine, how are you? Fine. Come see me next week, I'll give you the same answer. That's how it is. Like, we just don't know anybody. So if you ask three questions about a person that's targeted, you'll be doing more for that person than anybody in their life. [00:38:32] I'll give you an example. So I was at Guitar Center a couple of weeks ago because my oldest daughter, she leads worship in met youth and she wants to play and sing. So I went and bought her a guitar. And she's so cute. I'm so proud of her. So I get this guitar, go to the counter, and I strike up a conversation with a guy who is ringing us up. And his name is Paul, which I think is really fitting, but his name is Paul. And I just started to engage him in conversation. Here's the first question. First question was this, Paul, you work at Guitar Center. I'd imagine you like music. [00:39:06] What instruments do you play, man? And he kind of lit up and he started telling me about these instruments and all these kinds of things about them, and I just let him speak. Then came question two. And I said, so, Paul, kind of tell me the story about when you first became interested in music again. He starts telling me about his life history and when he was growing up as a kid and when he went to the military, all these things. I'm just listening. Amazing. [00:39:27] Question number three. And I said, paul, have you ever played in a church before? [00:39:34] Now? This is unscripted, by the way. I didn't know I was gonna do this until I just, here I am, Lord, I wanna be used by you. And I'm not perfect at this, but I asked him this question and he kind of recoiled and he's like, no, no, man, no. Church is not my thing. But then he kind of went on and he goes, but it's my dad's thing. My dad, he goes to church all the time. He keeps inviting me. And I kinda feel bad. I keep saying no, but it's just, I. I don't just church is just not for me. It's not for me. So I let him share his story and then he was done. Here's what I said. I go, hey, Paul, thanks for sharing that with me. I really do. I appreciate what you had to say. And it makes sense. I totally get it. Can I just tell you that I'm a Christian? I go to a church down the road called the Met Church. And I was just thinking about you because we have really good music and very skilled musicians. I thought you might appreciate what you'd hear if you came. He was like, ah, I don't know. I go, hey. Nope, nope. No strings attached. Just know invitations out there. 9, 30 and 11 on Sundays. I'd love to see you there. That's it. [00:40:27] Hopefully he took a step forward. [00:40:30] Maybe he's here today. Paul, you here? [00:40:33] Actually, he is. Paul, come out. Come on out here. Paul. No, I'm kidding. He's not. I'm kidding. Boy, that'd be powerful, wouldn't it? [00:40:40] So that night I left, he left. Maybe he got in his car, got on 35 and someone with a Christian bumper sticker cut him off. Maybe he went back a couple steps. It's the continuum. But here's what I'm trying to say. [00:40:55] I was just meeting him where he is and helping him take the next step. Maybe he actually comes to church and maybe he hears Bill preach and he goes, you know what? Actually, that guy didn't yell at me. He kind of made some sense. I don't really believe what he said, but he's kind of practical and he's kind of funny and better than I thought it was gonna be. Okay. Or maybe he actually prays. Receive Christ at the end of the message, and Bill helps him go to. From. From this step all the way to step zero. It's a. Look. Evangelism is a team sport. That's what I'm trying to help you understand. We just meet them where they are, help them take the next step. Oh, I love this scripture. In First Corinthians, chapter three, Paul says, I planted Apollo's water, but it's God who gives the increase. [00:41:31] Meaning, you do your part, someone else comes behind, does their part. It's a team sport. I don't have to get them from step 10 to step 0. I just gotta help them take the next step. And maybe it is that they meet Jesus. [00:41:42] Let me just take the pressure off real quick, okay? My job is not to convince them, just to convey to them what I know. [00:41:51] Okay? This is powerful Q and A. Very quickly, I'm gonna ask you some yes or no questions. You say yes or no based on what you believe to be true. You ready? Is God real? [00:42:03] Are you sure about that? Is God real? That's better. Okay. [00:42:07] Is Jesus God's son? [00:42:09] Was he born of a virgin? [00:42:11] Did he live a sinless life? [00:42:13] Did he perform miracles? [00:42:15] Does he have a perfect understanding of the human condition? [00:42:18] Did he convince most people to follow him? [00:42:24] No. [00:42:25] Most people didn't. Is that because he's ineffective at presenting the Gospel? [00:42:32] Of course not. You know why? [00:42:35] It's because although he wishes that none should perish, but all should come to the knowledge of the truth, he's given us dignity and respects us enough to not violate our volition. [00:42:47] We all have agency. We all have the ability to choose. And he would not infringe upon our free will and force us into submission. He allows us to freely choose. That's what's required for love. And he loves us that much so that if he didn't convince most people to follow him, why would I carry the burden that I had to convince most people to follow Jesus? [00:43:05] I don't try to convince you. I just convey what I know to be true and help you take that next step. [00:43:10] So here's what I encourage you to do today. [00:43:13] Think about that one person in your life that's closest to you but furthest from God. [00:43:23] Lace up those shoes. [00:43:25] Leave them on. [00:43:26] Start right there. [00:43:28] Be stable. Be mobile. Take one step toward them and see if you can help them take one step toward him. [00:43:36] Easter's coming up. [00:43:37] What a great time to invite people to church. We actually have these yard signs. You're free to take one when you leave. Put it in your yard. Do people in your neighborhood know you even follow Jesus? Might be a great way to invite them. Who's that? One person closest to you, farthest from God. [00:43:55] Help bring them closer to God one step at a time. [00:43:59] Heavenly Father, we love you. Thank you for the peace that you offer to us in Jesus. Peace is not a product. Peace is a person. The second person of the Trinity. Jesus. I pray for all my friends that are here today. And maybe they do know you as Lord, but they're missing their peace. [00:44:16] I just pray God, you remind them that you are their peace. They'll come to you. [00:44:21] They'll access the tranquility of soul in the midst of chaos, that you provide for those of us here that need to be mobile, that we have peace. But there's people in our lives around us whose lives are chaotic. Give us the courage to step into those environments and bring peace. And Father, I pray for anyone in this room who does not know you, that they would know that you know them. [00:44:44] You care for them, that you saw them when you were hanging on the cross and you died for them. Your love for them was what kept you on the cross to pay for their sin. And I pray that they'll right now, by the power of your spirit, open up their heart. And say, Lord Jesus, I trust in you. [00:45:02] I believe you died and you rose again. [00:45:05] Come into my heart, I'll follow you. I receive your peace in Jesus name. [00:45:13] Thank you so much for tuning in today. If you have any questions or prayer requests, please contact us by visiting metchurch.com so that we can follow up with you this week. We look forward to seeing you next week.