WEEK 3 ALL OUT WAR MESSAGE NOTES UNPLUGGED YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS www.monticelloyouth.

.com Stay up to date - text UNPLUGGED to 41411 Today, were talking about a small part of the body, the feet. Ephesians 6:15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the good news so that youll be fully prepared. I thought its kind of interesting that it goes for the feet. Of all the things to cover- I can understand covering your heart with armor. In a couple weeks, were going to be talking about putting on a helmet. But the feet - why cover the feet? Theyre such a wimpy little part of the body. But if youve ever had a foot injury before, if your feet are not protected, heres what can happen in a little bit of battle. If your feet cant handle it, youre not going to be able to walk into the battle. Youre not going to be able to stand strong if your feet are not protected. So he uses this image. To stand strong, you need peace. To walk into the battle, you need peace. THE SYMBOL OF THE SHOES Protects from the rough terrain: The soldier is powerless without the proper shoes. Roman sandals were more like todays cleats, with sharp metal nails embedded in them to help them retain their footing. Prepares the soldier to stand Protects us through our walk of life. How long would you last in your battle if you forgot to put on your shoes? We must make advance preparations to put on the gospel into our lives so that we can avoid the temptations and pitfalls of the enemy. We will also use our shoes to go out and teach the gospel to those who are lost. What is the gospel of peace? Definition of peace: absence of war. The Greek word for peace means absence of war. 1. A picture of peace peace with God. We talked about this a little bit last week with righteousness. Colossians 1:20 says this: By Him [Jesus], God reconciled everything to Himself. God made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of His blood on the cross. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, if we accept that Jesus died on the cross in our place, we can have peace with God. Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. As we saw in the previous lesson regarding righteousness, nothing we can do will earn salvation, but we must continually acknowledge, confess and repent from our sinfulness if we are to remain pleasing in Gods eyes. 2. Peace with others. The Bible says not only peace with God, but peace with others. Romans 12:18: Do your part to live in peace with everyone. Then 2 Corinthians 13:

Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. So what is biblical peace? Peace with God. Peace with others. 3. Peace with yourself. Circle if in Romans 8:6. Thats a biggie. If the Holy Spirit controls your mind, theres life and peace. A lot of people can have different definitions of peace: its in the trees; its when you meditate; its when you smoke seaweed; whatever you want to go after. But in all the multiple definitions, heres what the Bible says: Peace with God, peace with others, peace with yourself. Look at the promise Jesus gives. So Jesus is saying, The peace I give you isnt like the peace the world gives. Peace doesnt mean that your life isnt going to have problems. Thats not what Im talking about with peace. Peace doesnt mean that your life wont be complicated. Peace doesnt mean that there wont be chaos in your soul. Heres what peace means, that in the midst of all the complications, in the midst of the pain, in the midst of the chaos, youll have confidence. Youll have contentment. Write those words down somewhere. Confidence contentment, in the midst of the craziness thats going on.
[By: All Out War - Doug Fields]

HOW ARE WE TO BE PREPARED IN THE GOSPEL OF PEACE?

[Truth & Reason -Bryan Schiele]

This plan gives us peace now, and will bring peace to the whole world! WE STAND WITH READINESS. As a soldier who stands ready to fight, we too as soldiers of Christ should stand ready for the battle against the enemy. To teach the lost. The world around us is lost without Christ, in fact they are in darkness and in the shadow of death without the gospel of peace (Luke 1:79). We need to recognize the power of the gospel to save souls and not be ashamed to speak it (Rom. 1:16). The gospel of Christ brings peace in a world that is full of tribulation (John 16:33). Our job, as soldiers who are prepared with the gospel of peace, is to go out and preach. As Paul asked, And how shall they preach unless they are sent? and quoted the prophet Isaiah How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things! (Rom. 10:15). Paul said that this gospel is what he himself preached (1 Cor. 15:11). Because of our compassion for lost souls, Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men (2 Cor. 5:11). Are you the kind of teacher of the gospel that you should be? Do you care enough about the souls of the lost to teach them the gospel or are you too ashamed of these things to open your mouth and save their soul? To defend against the enemys attacks. Not only are we to be ready to teach the lost, but we, ourselves, must be ready to defend against the attacks of the enemy. If we have our feet appropriately shod with the gospel, Paul says that the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet (Rom. 16:20). We are to always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within us (1 Pet. 3:15). Remember the constant preparation of the Bereans who received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so (Acts 17:11). Have you studied Gods word enough so that you can be ready to defend it, to answer for it, to avoid the pitfalls that the enemy is

constantly laying at your feet? WE STAND FIRMLY PLANTED. The soldier must be able to stand firmly planted to avoid giving any ground to the enemy. As soldiers of Christ, we too must stand strong, firmly planted, to avoid giving ground to our enemy. Knowing salvation is ours in Christ. While temptations and trials will come our way, it is the peace of the gospel, knowing that salvation is already ours if we will stand, that helps us fight. Paul preached the gospel, the Corinthians believed it and they stood in it (1 Cor. 15:1). We are told to stand fast to what has been taught (2 Thess. 2:15). Paul said that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Rom. 8:37). We will talk about the protection that we have as a result of salvation (helmet of salvation) in the coming lessons, but let us be assured that we can stand if we are confident in the gospel and the power it provides us! Regardless of the attack. [READ Rom. 8:35-39] No matter what the enemy attacks us with, we should not be anxious, but offer up our prayers to God for help, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6,7). The peace of God should rule in our hearts, not any of the desires that the flesh can offer (Col 3:15). No matter what the attack, we will not fall back, neither shall we fear, because as Paul said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13). Are you able to stand against the enemy, regardless of his tactics, on your own? NO, but only with the gospel and the preparation that it provides, can we hope to stand in the evil day!

What does the gospel of peace have to do with shoes?

http://www.freebiblestudyguides.org/bible-teachings/armor-of-god-shoes-of-preparation-gospel-of-peace.htm

Romans 10:14-15 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!" God's Church is sent to announce the good news of God's Kingdom, which will spread His way of peace around the whole world. Having our shoes on, we are ready to move, to spread these glad tidings to others. In the apostle Paul's day, he walked countless miles in delivering the good news. Today, transportation and communication have changed, but we must also be constantly ready to do our part to spread the good news. Romans 3:17 And the way of peace they have not known. In spite of all human attempts at peace, it's clear from the daily news reports that this world does not know the road to peace. 1 John 2:6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Following Christ's steps is the way to real peace. How do these spiritual shoes help us stand firm? John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. The sandals of the Roman soldier "often were fitted with nails, or armed with spikes, to make the hold firm in the ground" (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible). God's good news and our missionour marching ordersto preach it serve as our firm foundation. When we truly allow ourselves to take comfort in the good news promised by God, there is nothing from outside ourselves that can trouble our hearts or give us reason to be afraid. Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33), and so we have nothing to fear from it. Luke 10:19-20 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. Just as shoes allow us to walk on otherwise painful terrain without fear, so the preparation of the gospel of peace allows us to traverse the otherwise painful trials and tribulations of life without fear, knowing that what awaits is greater than anything we could possibly suffer in this world (Romans 8:18).

Why is it called a gospel of peace? Isaiah 2:2-4 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. The Bible makes it clear that, when God's Kingdom is established and the entire world begins to live God's way faithfully, the resulting peace will be universal. There will be no more war or fear, only the worldwide peace that comes from God's way of life.