The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

Prayer

Divisions Among Us

Jesus really is the smartest person ever. His teaching is absolutely amazing - he knows us so well. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the first thing he addresses when it comes to becoming people who have true inner goodness (what the Bible calls righteousness) is anger.

Speaks against harboring anger towards others, contempt - gives example of calling them names as one way that we express contempt for others.

Because he knows that anger always causes separation. It divides a relationship. It builds up a wall of hostility.

Why when someone is angry at you - you already experience hurt, just knowing that.

Then we either get defensive (put that wall up) or we get aggressive (go on the attack) or we distance ourselves, avoid.

Why Jesus gives counsel, if you’re bringing an offering, a gift before God at the altar - and you remember your brother has something against you, don’t delay. Leave the gift there and go be reconciled with your brother.

Or if your adversary is taking you to court - don’t wait, go settle matters with him right away. Otherwise it may not end up well for you - thrown into prison.

Jesus teaches us to do this - one, because it’s the right thing to do - if we’ve harmed someone else, we ought to make it right. But Jesus also teaches us to do this because if we don’t make it right, then hostility will stir up between you and that other person.

That person is going to seek you harm in some way. That’s what we do as people. You hurt me - I’m going to get you (may be physical harm, much more often we use a verbal attack, or we seek to damage their reputation).

You’ve probably had that experience where you hurt someone and immediately regretted it - but it was too late, you can’t undo what you did.

So you try to find some way to make it up to them - kid who punches his brother and makes him cry…go ahead, you can hit me. As you get older, you just try to be super nice and attentive to them. It’s dynamic of the abuser who goes out and buys an expensive gift for the person they abused.

Because you know there’s now something between you. This distance, this wall of hostility because of what you did.

Sometimes, you’re okay with the separation. Dynamic of relationships changes - not as close anymore - or relationship ends altogether.

I had an experience not too long ago when in a series of conversations with a friend, I felt judged, condemned. And I wrestled with inclination of not pursuing the relationship anymore - why bother?

Or you ignore the issue altogether, just covering over it with a veneer of niceness - but the distance is still there.

Satan loves all of it. Because he loves to separate. He loves to ruin relationships. Put up those walls of hostility. Doesn’t matter what causes it - family fights, racial divisions. Political divisions. Church fights.

C.S. Lewis has a book called The Great Divorce, imaginative look at what heaven and hell might be like

In hell, there’s infinite space, you can set up your house anywhere. What ends up happening, everyone gets irritated with their neighbor, so they keep moving further and further apart. It’s self chosen isolation.

Thankfully, we have a weapon to fight with. A tool God gives us to help us stand strong.

Third piece of armor that God provides - the shoes of the Gospel of Peace. Ephesians 6:15

Stand firm then...with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Another translation, NLT: For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

This is our main point this morning: To fit our feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace is to make the commitment to live in God’s peace. To be at peace with God and to be at peace with others.

Dig into what that looks like, to wear shoes of the Gospel of Peace. Best way to do that is to understand what that means - fit our feet with Good News of God’s peace.

The Gospel of Peace

Ephesians 2:11-18 - Paul is addressing church at Ephesus, talking about dynamic between Gentile believers and Jewish believers

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

I hope we never stop being amazed by Jesus, and what he’s done for us on the cross - the hugeness of what he accomplished, laying down his life.

In this passage, Paul is describing how God is bringing peace about in two different ways - he is restoring relationship with us and him - and he is restoring relationship with us and others. That’s what the Gospel of Peace is all about.

It’s Jesus bringing everyone together in him. He himself is our peace.

Paul reminds the Ephesians what their situation was before Christ…remember at that time you were separate from Christ…without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

This is what Jesus came to do: Isaiah 57:19 - Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”

To have peace with God means that it’s good between us and God. We’re connected, we’re in relationship, and it’s a good relationship, we’re for each other. There’s no unease or questioning or uncertainty between us.

It used not not to be - we were enemies, we lived with hostility towards God. We might not think of it in those terms, but that’s always dynamic of sin. We chose to go against God.

But because of Jesus, because of his amazing reconciliation work on the cross, we’re given the opportunity to be brought back into relationship with the Father, connection to be restored. To have peace with God.

There’s no hostility from God toward us (hear that, God has no hostility toward us). He longs to be with us, to be one with us, for us to be one with him.

We ready our feet by trusting that’s absolutely 100% true. I am reconciled to God. You are reconciled to God. It is good between God and us.

Satan wants to divide, separate. And so he whispers in our ear…it’s not good between you and God.

A friend of mine got involved in adulterous relationship. It almost ended his marriage. Thankfully, they’ve been working towards rebuilding marriage. One of the most difficult parts of working through that is that lingering doubts remain. Are they really ok? Is she still angry, upset? What more can I do to make it up to her, to make it right? Is there peace between us?

I often feel that way about my relationship with God. I get so aware of my shortcomings and failures I have a hard time imagining that God isn’t frustrated with my string of broken promises and unfilled intentions. When that happens, I find myself wanting to avoid God. Move away from him.

I falsely assume God sees me the way that I see myself in that moment (when all along I’m sure he wants me to see myself as he sees him, his precious child). I have to catch myself and remind myself of the truth of Gospel of peace - that it’s good between us because Jesus made it that way!

The Gospel promise is, the gospel of peace - is that we can without reservation say, YES! We don’t have to worry or be afraid that God doesn’t want anything to do with us. Or that he’s still angry or hurt - or he’s punishing us because of what we did. To ready our feet is to live in the confidence that we have peace with God. It is good between us.

It’s good between us because of what Jesus did. This really is amazing part of the Gospel - the lengths God would go to - give us his very son - so that we could be one. That’s the connection, relationship God wants to have with us. To be one - no distance, no separation. He in us, and us in him.

John 17:11 - Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. (Give us your armor, God, so we can be together!)

What I hope you hear in this is how deeply God desires to be one with us. To be together. To have peace.

Jesus’ work on cross doesn’t just make peace possible between us and God, but peace between us and others as well. Relationships restored. Walls of hostility broken down.

Vs. 15-16: His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

Jesus didn’t just take our hostility, our opposition to God on cross. But our hostility towards one another - put that to death as well. And that’s a lot of hostility.

Every instance of road rage. Every group of parents yelling at the refs at the kids’ sporting matches. Every family fight. Neighborhoods arguing about homeowners association rules. Now our hostilities get expressed openly on Twitter and Facebook.

True on every level - nations…races…ethnic groups (how long has the Israeli-Palestinian conflict been going on?)…Satan is very good at what he does.

But Jesus is even better. He took it all on. He bore it on cross. He tore down every wall of hostility so every single relationship could be restored. So we could be together. So we could be one, as Jesus and the Father are one.

Peace is not - you do your own thing, I’ll do mine. That’s polite separation, it’s still being divided. It’s not simply a lack of conflict - you can not be fighting with someone and still have no connection, no relationship.

To be at peace is to experience wholeness, togetherness, to be for one another. That it would be good between us.

Romans 12:18 - If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Be at peace with others, live in such a way that our heart is always to be with - no matter the differences (if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone).

Differences can be on ethnic level, economic level, lifestyle level - there’s so many ways we can be divided. To live at peace is to move towards others, it would be well between you and others, no matter the differences.

Examples

Capernaum: Talking to one father - his son, 21 years old. Social isolation.

Capernaum - to be comfortable with being uncomfortable - not let their disabilities and our awkwardness separate us

Thing that is most required is simply willingness to pursue relationship.

Moral differences - question of judging

Story in the Good & Beautiful Life. James Bryan Smith and his friend, Mark, who had plans to confront another about his behavior towards his girlfriend.

How did you respond when you felt judged by another (separation!)

Two things: Pray for him (peace with God) and exhibit a willingness to be in solidarity with his friend, I’m with you

This is what Paul is talking about, to live at peace with others. That it would be good between us.

There’s so much separation, so much hostility in world. But we have a great weapon in this spiritual battle. The Gospel of Peace. Make the commitment to live in God’s peace - to be at peace with God and with others.

Spiritual Disciplines

Commit to spending time in solitude with Jesus. Remain in him, abide in him

Living in the presence and love of Jesus. Learning to trust that you are at peace with God.

I find that when I’m feeling hesitant about my relationship with Christ (Satan whispering), I need to go be with him!

Live out Romans 12:18 - If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Trust that Jesus has broken down the walls of hostility, willingness to move towards others. Make an intentional effort to move toward someone this week.

Practice of forgiveness - be reconciled to others

Hostility - pray for someone when you have a broken relationship. Take a first step toward reengaging the relationship.

Make the effort to make clear that you are with and for others (how relationally hesitant we can be - don’t be…be unabashedly for someone else). Delight in them.

When someone encounters you, how do they experience you (are you hesitant? are you joyful?)

Fun story - two calls from Skylar this week (job reference, got the job!). Make more of an effort to include him.

Beautiful image of Kingdom of God

Remember that moment in 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down. What an amazing moment in history - wall that divided a city and a country, finally torn down, German people reunited.

This is what Jesus does. This is the good news of peace. As Ephesians reminds us, Jesus is our peace. He has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.

Jesus shatters barriers so we can be together.

This is God’s great plan, to bring us together. To make us one.

Revelation 7:9 - After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

We’re so used to being divided, it’s almost impossible to imagine what Kingdom of God will be like - with no divisions, no separation.

No individual nations - no borders (we’re divided now over how to manage our southern border)

A world with no locks, no gates, no segregation. No us versus them.

Just God on his throne, Jesus right there beside him - and a vast sea of people from every background, of every color, every people group - together, as one. This is bond of peace. This is what we are standing for when we ready ourselves by fitting our feet with the Gospel of peace.

Make the commitment. Put on the shoes of the Gospel of Peace. Live at peace with God and with others.