Gospel Shoes

We don't have to go that long either today. I was just saying, I've been meditating a lot about that. We like to experience all that the Lord has for us.

There's only one way to come to that place. It's just surrender. I think it's been shared in some of these testimonies.

Just give up. Basically, it's what it takes. And maybe we'll come across some of that today in our... as we're looking to the Scripture here, the Word of God.

The Bible says we should not forsake the assembly of ourselves together as we see the day approaching. That was written approximately 2,000 years ago in that... something like that. And how much more important it is for us today to come together and exhort one another.

Be faithful. Keep your eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ. One of these days, it's going to be over.

So many have heard that over the ages, down through the ages, after the time of Christ when He ascended, He said He's going to come back. I remember some old Amish preachers, in all sincerity, there's tears maybe on their cheeks, just pushing this point. Jesus is coming back.

And I just want to do that today again. Jesus is coming back. He's coming back.

For those that are waiting and ready, it's a glorious thought. We'll be out of this temporal stuff, Brother Arlen. Forever we'll be with Him in glory.

But if we're not ready, that's a scary thought also. But it doesn't have to be like that. We're troubled with that thought.

It can be a blessing. It's actually the Lord's will in His heart that it would be a blessing. Well, I've been going through Chapter 6 of Ephesians here.

I'd just like to continue here today. We've been looking at the armor. The Word of God tells us we should take unto us the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Remember, we're not just in a playground here. This is a battlefield. We enlisted in the Lord's army.

It's truly a battlefield. It's been received like we heard. He chastens us.

Sometimes there's chastisement. But it's also that we've been enlisted into a battlefield. Just this week again, going with some of the brothers and sisters to Columbus the other evening.

Different venues there. It's a battle. It's just a battle.

Every time you go out there, just realize what wants to press in. These things, evil and good, will be in a constant conflict until Jesus comes again. I look forward to that day when everything will be put under His feet and death and sin will be forever put away.

We want to continue here in Ephesians 6. We had looked at first of all, we should stand. And then the first thing it mentions as we put on the armor of God, the first thing that Paul addresses here is truth. Our loins skirt about with truth.

And the second thing we talked about the last time was having on the breastplate of righteousness. Today we'd like to look at verse 15 here in chapter 6. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. So let's open our hearts to the Word of God today.

Let's just commit this to the Lord in prayer. Father in heaven, we come to You in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, I'm so thankful that we can come here together like this this morning.

And I'm just so much more thankful that we can come to the throne of grace to find mercy and help in a time of need. Lord, we confess that these last days we're in a time of need. All around us, Lord, there's warfare.

People are falling. Men of God are falling. Women that have once walked with You are falling.

And just throwing things to the wind and just giving up, Lord. The warfare, Lord, is sometimes strong. It's just overpowering, we sometimes think.

But Lord, we have the promise that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. So I pray today You would encourage us again to take upon us the whole armor of God. We would not give up, Lord.

We just submit ourselves under the authority of Your Word today and I just pray You would minister to my heart, Lord, first of all and most of all. I just need this encouragement to not lay the armor down. Help us also, Lord, to be sensitive to a brother or to a sister that is faltering.

That might have some silent struggles that they're ready to give up. They're just weary. They're tired.

Help us, Lord, have the heart to come alongside and encourage and be like the Holy Spirit, the comforter. Flow through us, Lord, to one another. We could edify each other and realize we're all on the same army.

We shouldn't fight each other. We're fighting the enemy, Lord. Unite our hearts in this fight for Your honor and glory.

In Jesus' name, amen. So we looked at the truth, being girded about with truth. Our loins are girded about.

That's the foundation. Truth is so important. How that's called, I guess it would be the foundation.

And having on the breastplate of righteousness. The truth is almost like, I think we talked about a belt. Like a belt holds the uniform together.

If we don't have that, the other pieces will not be held together in place like they should. But truth is mentioned first of all. Remember we talked about how truth has fallen in the streets and equity and justice and judgment couldn't come in and some were turned away back because truth had fallen.

Once truth has fallen in a nation, in a church, in a family, in a personal life, everything else will deteriorate also. The other things just won't hold together. Truth is very important.

Then the breastplate of righteousness. We looked at how righteousness, we have the righteousness of Christ that is imputed on to us. And also, that was in Genesis 15.

In Genesis 22, how Abraham says he obeyed God. Referring to James 2, how he obeyed God. And righteousness is also a part of our obeying God.

He expects us to continue in that. Like we heard this morning, the choices we make, leaning, the leaning is towards the Spirit of God instead of the leaning is towards the flesh. But today we'd like to look at our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

It starts here in verse 15. Footwear is so important. I believe the Lord wants us to keep our feet tender.

If you wear shoes regularly and you're out walking on gravel, you probably walk kind of like, you know, carefully. I remember, you see my nephew, years ago, he's a big man now, heavy, and he probably would walk like that on gravel today. But he's just a little tight.

I remember his father said how they would just run barefoot day on end, you know, just whole summer long. Didn't see shoes. They would run across the gravel.

Actually, they'd skid. They'd just skid, the gravel would fly because their feet were calloused. They'd come used to not having shoes.

And I just thought about that's how a lot of Christians are going through this life. They might have, profess to have part of this through armor, but the shoes about sharing the gospel, prepared to share the gospel, is not there. Their feet become calloused to that.

We can become calloused to this part here. But our feet need to be tender. That we will notice.

If we go a day without these shoes, we'll notice it. It's not easy to walk. But unfortunately, there's many people that, professing Christians, that can go weeks, they can go months, they can go years without hardly ever opening their mouth for the Lord Jesus Christ.

May it not be so amongst us. May our feet be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Let's not have calloused feet.

That we just are used to going without this. Footwear is very important. And we look at feet.

It says our feet. Feet are a picture of many things in Scripture. First of all, I think they denote or they talk about a direction someone goes.

The Bible has much to say about the way and the feet being turned, going in the right direction. It's a guiding principle in someone's life. It's a way.

Feet also express subjection. I just thought it was pretty interesting going through the gospels and seeing how, talking about the feet of Jesus, just how that referred to so many times about feet. Feet also express subjection, humility, receptivity of discipleship.

The Vines actually gives it as our inability to do it on our own. How many times did people come to Jesus in desperate need of help, wanting healing, and it says they knelt at his feet or they worshiped him at his feet. They came to his feet.

It's a sign of I can't do it on my own. I need help. This is beyond me to express, that's an expression of I can't do it.

It's an inability of myself to be able to do it. I think it was in maybe Mark, the book of Mark, I'm not quite sure, maybe Matthew, but it says that a certain area Jesus passed through and people came with all the infirm and the diseased and cast them down at his feet. They knew there was help.

They'd heard, they'd seen, they knew there was help at his feet. It was an expression we can't do it, you take care of it, Lord Jesus. Would you please have mercy.

Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, he fell at his feet. Beseeching him for his son. The Syro-Phoenician woman, her daughter was vexed with the devil, she fell at his feet also.

In Luke 7 also we can read about that Jesus was in the house of Simon the Pharisee and a woman came and stood behind him at his feet. Then she also started washing his feet and drying with her hair and kissed his feet, anointed his feet. It was a sign of total submission, total consecration, total surrender.

It's what she was exhibiting here. That demon possessed person that Jesus met in the country of Gadara. Gadara, however you call that, pronounced that when after he was healed it says he wanted to go with Jesus but Jesus just told him to stay back and share the word with those that asked him to go.

But it says when they came back after the pigs had run into the sea, they came back and what they were used to seeing this man naked and clawing himself, running and crying, cutting himself. It says he was sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind. So sitting at Jesus' feet will put you in a right mind and it will clothe you properly, spiritually and physically, I believe.

Sitting and clothed and in his right mind. The result of sitting at Jesus' feet. Luke 10 it talks about Mary and Martha.

We all know that story so well. Mary was busy and just... Martha was a busy one just making sure everything is covered, all the bases are covered. Jesus is well taken care of.

This meal needs to be good and she was bustling around and hurrying around and finally she just went up to Jesus and said here is my sister. She was just sitting there listening and won't you tell her to come and help me? And he said Martha, Martha, you're troubled about many things. One thing is needful.

Mary has chosen the good part. It says that she was sitting at his feet. Sitting at Jesus' feet.

Time spent at Jesus' feet is not lost time. The 10 lepers, also in Luke chapter 10, just well it might not be Luke 10, but the book of Luke I found is also the 10 lepers. When they were healed, one the Samaritan, one was named the Samaritan, one of the outcasts, came running back and he knelt at his feet and worshiped him.

It was just a true picture of worship. So thankful, thankfulness, gratefulness will also end up at Jesus' feet. I believe when we cast our crowns before him, we'll cast them at his feet in heaven.

But the Samaritan, he is the one that says that he was whole, he was made whole. They were all healed, but leprosy takes away your members, it eats away at your fingers, your feet. People that I think, Brother Chris, were you in a leper colony? Do you see that in India? It's very common in India what I read.

But I believe this man, whatever he had missing, says he was made whole. Just coming to Jesus' feet, he was healed initially by a word, but coming back it says he was made whole. I think those things, his members all came back intact.

The others, I don't know. Maybe also, but probably the leprosy was halted for sure. I like this idea of being made whole.

This one was made whole. Coming back to Jesus' feet with gratefulness and worship. Also in John 20, Thomas was doubting, but it says they all were afraid, and Jesus told all the disciples after the resurrection, he appeared to them and says, touch me, my hands and my feet.

The feet of Jesus, I think we heard just recently, there's scars there. His hands still have scars and his feet will have scars. Every time you come to Jesus' feet, you see the scars.

It was a costly salvation for us. Another thing I saw in Acts, Barnabas, when the church was growing, the church was being birthed, people came with their money. They came and they brought the extra and put it down, laid it at his disciples' feet.

Barnabas came, the son of consolation came. He sold some land, he brought it, laid it at the apostles' feet. It's a sign of relinquishment.

I'm surrendering. It even affects my pocketbook. I'm giving it to you, Lord, to the work of the cross, work of the kingdom.

Feet have, there's a lot of pictures we can get from, spiritual pictures and just looking at feet. We go places with our feet. Our feet take us there.

I know it starts in here with the decision, but our feet, that's why it says our feet need to be prepared for the preparation of the gospel of peace. It doesn't just say your feet shot with the gospel of peace, but with the preparation. Maybe we'll talk about that word preparation a little bit more later on.

One of my favorite stories that I've heard in the recent, maybe 50 years, 60 years happened. I'm not sure what the time frame was. Maybe you heard about this story in Papua New Guinea.

The gospel was starting to enter that country and it was people that were bringing the gospel, the good news upon those mountains, as it says in Romans 8 and Isaiah 52. People responded to the gospel and some of these converts came together, some of the churches came together, these newly born converts and they would start having a yearly convention or time of coming together, singing and encouragement. It was a good time, but they also had a time of asking people to come, inviting people to enter the work and be willing to go have their feet shot with a gospel feast.

There's other tribes that need to hear. The missionary can't do it all. Some of you need to rise up and people would come and surrender and give up their life willing to go to the next tribe.

But there's one tribe, a cannibalistic tribe that's difficult to reach. No one volunteered except a crippled man. A crippled man came down the aisle.

They had a time of altar call or people that wanted to do this publicly and he came down the aisle dragging himself with a stick. He couldn't walk. He came up there and he wanted to give himself.

They said, well, you can't go. You're crippled. This is a difficult place.

There's no way you can go. But he was determined, I want to go. And I don't know that they even commissioned him, maybe just to go back home.

But one day he was missing and that man took off across the hills on his crippled feet with that stick. Eighteen inches at a time he dragged himself up over the mountain. It took him weeks.

I don't know how many weeks he traveled. Almost died of exposure. And he came to the area of this tribe and they found and discovered him almost dead and they carried him to the chief's hut, his tent or whatever house.

He had there. And nursed him back to health. Revived him.

And they didn't kill him. And he led them to the Lord. He shared the gospel, the good news of the gospel like we read here, the gospel of peace.

And these people were converted. And a year later he said, you know where I came from they have this yearly gathering. Let's go back there.

So they carried him back. He said, I want to take back to you there. You all need to be there.

It's a good time. So they carried him back and this is all done in secret I guess. No one knew it back home where he was from when it happened.

But while they were having this convention they were singing, here comes a group of people down this hillside and this man they were carrying the man to a certain point. He said, now I want to lead you. So again on his feet with his stick he led his prey or his prize to the midst of this group that was worshipping.

And I was just thinking how beautiful were those feet. Gnarled and just ugly and probably not a pretty sight to look at. But it doesn't really matter.

These are the feet that Jesus loves that will count in his kingdom. That are out bringing people to the kingdom, sharing the good news. So if a crippled man can do it, surely each one of us that can walk well we can do it also.

So let's not shrink back from having our feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Brother Jerry shared this different times. I heard him say this different times.

When I was growing up, a young man like these young men are here. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. In his 20s, he says, I didn't like to go out.

It was my nature just to go out. But people kept pushing me, pushing me. And today you wouldn't think about it.

So maybe just a few of us will need a nudge today. Let's have our feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace. If we've truly been saved from such a great destruction and we can't share with others how great was that deliverance in our own life, we finally have to ask the question.

If we truly have been saved from such a great destruction, surely we can tell others about it. Our feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I think I'll read a few verses here in Romans 10.

That's the first one here that talks about quotes this verse, Romans 10 verse 8. It says, But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and thy heart. That is the word of faith which we preach, that thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. I believe these verses have been very instrumental in bringing many people to the Lord. But it would not have happened if there wouldn't have been a person that was willing to be that mouthpiece, to have the shoes on his feet.

For the scripture says, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. So from verse 8 to right now, through verse 12, beautiful verses, salvation.

But it just doesn't just happen on its own. The Lord can in some instances, I know I've heard testimonies of maybe people, Brother Denny Kenison said the stars preached the first message to me. He didn't hear it from man, it was the stars.

But also there were preachers in his life. But this all happens, this believing and this hearing and this understanding happens of hearing the Word of God. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Verse 13. Then 14 says, How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? You need a call if you've never heard a call. And how shall they hear without a preacher? It takes a preacher to give that word.

And how shall they preach except they be sent? So it takes a body also to send people. And the Lord Jesus actually says, So sent are you, all have been sent. As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.

You know what, I'm just convinced when we get to glory, when we have the marriage supper of the Lamb, I believe Jesus will have a foot washing again. He'll be going along and washing all these beautiful feet that have been laboring for his kingdom. Don't you want to be part of that? See, there's nothing.

That would be so wonderful to have Jesus wash my feet. I mean, we can look at John 13, think how special it was. Those disciples had the privilege to have Jesus wash their feet.

I believe we'll have that also. Let's wait. Let's wait until that time that he can take those shoes off.

Let's not take them off beforehand. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. Verse 16 says, But they have not all obeyed the gospel.

Isaiah says, Lord, who hath believed our report? So here we see that the believing part, also there's an obeying part too. Also here in Isaiah 52, turns to that one also. That's where this scripture was comes from in Romans 10.

Isaiah 52. Isaiah, he speaks so many times almost like in a New Covenant way. Isaiah 52 verse 7 through 9, How beautiful upon the mountains.

He doesn't just say how beautiful are the feet, but upon the mountains are the feet of them that bring us good tidings, that publish us peace, that bring us good tidings of good, that publish us salvation, that save us unto Zion. Actually, he's not bringing tidings to the unsaved or the lost, but to Zion, to God's people also. You need to hear this.

Thy God reigneth. That was the good news, actually. Thy God reigneth.

Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice, with the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye. When people truly embrace this good news, when we all see the good news, it will bring people eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

One more in the book of Nahum. One of the minor prophets there is between, I think, Micah and Habakkuk. Nahum, book of Nahum, chapter 1, verse 15 says, Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bring us good tidings, that publisheth peace, O Judah.

Keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows, for the wicked shall no more pass through thee, he is utterly cut off. So even in the Old Testament there was a blessing about going around spreading the good news. They didn't know of Jesus yet, but these are the scriptures where Romans is quoted in Romans then.

So that's the foundation of where this came from about preaching the gospel of peace upon the mountains. And I wondered already, why does it say mountains? Why does it refer to mountains? But if you think about it, Jerusalem, Zion, Mount Zion is up on a mountain, and the good news should come from the center, from God's dwelling place. That was God's dwelling place where he dwelt, the temple.

So we are the temple of the living God now. So every one of us should be, there should be peace if we're truly in Christ. We should be able to lead people to the Lord.

We should be able to show the way of peace to the lost, to those that are hurting. Not just the lost, but there's many lonely people, there's people that are struggling, not sure where they're at. Let's be a word of peace to those people upon the mountains.

Or maybe mountains are referring to things, big things in my life, things that are looming up. The word mountain just simply means to loom up big things ahead of me. This just looks overwhelming.

How can I get over this? May I speak peace. May the Lord speak peace to your hearts this morning. It is very possible.

What does the word peace mean? Let's just look at that a bit here. It just simply means in the Greek it means to join peace, one quietness, rest, set at one again. It gives the idea of something that wasn't at rest, something that was separated, that came together.

And that's happened in the garden. We all know how when man sinned, Eve took that fruit from the tree and partook without him. It says their eyes were opened.

And I believe at that very moment peace left also. It was cut out. There was no more peace.

Trouble. That's what happens today. When people come to the age of accountability, young people, and there's that conviction, just not sure where I'm at with the Lord, and just trouble, trouble.

But God says in Isaiah, there is no peace, says my God to the wicked. There's a time, I believe, where every young person realizes there's something that's right. And the Lord in His mercy is just trying to show you by His kindness.

We kind of don't like that not good feeling, that conviction, that guilt and all that. But it's the kindness, the mercy of Jesus just showing us that we're not at peace. He would long to be at peace with us.

It says at one again, at one. You put those together, you have the word atone. And that was what Jesus did when He shed His blood for us, He atoned.

His blood atoned for all our race. At one brought us together. That's what peace is.

And that's why in Papua New Guinea, these tribal people that are in constant fear of the spirits of the angry God, they need to hear that message. God wants to be at one with you. And there's a man, the mediator, the man Christ Jesus has given His life.

There's one man and one mediator between God and man, that is the man Christ Jesus, one mediator. That is why the people in Knox County, Ohio and Coshocton County, wherever you're from, also need to hear the same message. There is one man, one mediator, the man Christ Jesus wants to set us at one again.

His blood was shed for that very purpose, to set us at one again. Not just for the tribal people. We're also a tribe.

The Bible says in Revelations, John saw every tribe, nation. We're a tribe. We're a people.

We're a kindred. We're a tongue. It's for us too.

The devil, I know when I was at that young age, when I was struggling with conviction, I prayed and I did different things and this war was going on inside, just wishing there would be something I could do and solutions. What would be a solution to fix this thing? And all the time, the Lord had the answer there. But it wasn't until I just shared with my parents, my mom, and Jesus helped me pray and I just openly confessed my sins, it was time to surrender, just surrender at the feet of Jesus and just felt the sin leaving and guess what happened? Peace.

Just felt a peace. The Lord can still do that and He still wants to maintain that. I'd just like to talk about that a little bit about or maybe we'll come to that later, but we talked about the gospel of peace, our feet shod about the good news.

I'd like to look at the word preparation a bit. It just simply means to make ready. And when I think of the preparation part, the make ready, your feet shot with a preparation.

It doesn't really say actually, the thrust there in Ephesians 6, the thrust isn't so much. I always thought when I read that, that's just talking about going out, getting the news out, witnessing. And I think it is.

It's there. But it doesn't say your feet shot with the gospel of peace, but with the preparation. But I thought about that.

I had to think about Jesus and His forerunner, John the Baptist. That's why He was sent. He was a preparer.

He was a forerunner. He was a messenger. He was asked to prepare the way of the Lord.

Isaiah 35, I'd like to read that. Isaiah 35 talks about the way. I just read that recently.

My devotion is going through Isaiah. I just really enjoy that chapter. I'll just read part of it.

Isaiah 35 is a chapter of restoration, a blessing. The Lord just wants to pour it out. Blessing wants to restore.

Verse 8, it says, And a highway shall be there. Talk about this way. Feet walk on a way.

A highway shall be there, and a way. And it shall be called the way of holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for those, the wayfaring man.

We had the word way here in maybe conjunction with other words four times this verse. Verse 8, it says, No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon. It shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.

With their feet they will walk on that way for the redeemed. The highway of holiness is only for the redeemed. And the ransom of the Lord shall return.

They shall return walking down that highway. Come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, and they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. So this highway will lead to destination.

The destination there's going to be joy and gladness and all the difficulties that we face along the way shall flee away. They're going. The highway.

Remember we had talked about the way of Cain, the way of Abel, so forth. Way just simply means a course of life, direction I take. The way I walk, the life I live, is just simply the life I live.

But God has a highway He wants us to be walking on. And all of these that we looked at so far, the truth, the Bible talks about the way of truth and righteousness, also the way of righteousness, and also here talks about the preparation of the gospel of peace. But if you turn to Luke chapter 1, I'm going to spend some time in here now, in chapter 1 of Luke, I think John the Baptist lived this out, this preparation of the gospel of peace.

He wasn't the one that brought peace, he was the preparer when Jesus came. Zechariah, in verse 67 of chapter 1, this is what Zechariah prophesied after his tongue was opened, when he could speak again, this is what came out. His father, Zechariah, talking about his son, this little newborn babe, was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to his father Abraham, that he would grant unto us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

So this is actually what will happen when Jesus comes on the scene. We'll be delivered out of the hand of all our enemies, and we'll walk on this way of holiness for him, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. And now referring to this little newborn John here, And thou, child, shall be called the prophet of the highest.

Actually, you'll find in life, if you are prepared of his ways, you'll be a prophet, and you won't be very much appreciated a lot of times. Happened to John the Baptist. He shared for a while, shared once too many times, with his mouth, preparing the way, and it took his head off.

So thou, child, shall be called the prophet, like he gave his son a death sentence right there, didn't know it, of the highest. For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways. Talking about ways, we're talking about feet.

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins. Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day spring from on high has visited us. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

To guide our feet into the way of peace. That's really what I want, the last phrase there. To guide these feet into the way of peace.

The preparation of the gospel of peace. To guide our feet into the way of peace. This is the Lord's will that's been prophesied under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

It's the Holy Ghost is brooding on Father Zachariah's heart here. He's still brooding today. To guide our feet into the way of peace.

It's a course, a course that you take. It's a way of life, a direction. The way of peace.

Why do we need that? We read in Romans 10, the way of peace being proclaimed upon the mountains. But if you turn to Romans 3, before that happens, here's the testimony of God against us. Here's the case he has against us.

Verse 10, Romans 3. As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God.

They're all going out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no not one.

Their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues they have used deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.

Their feet are swift to shed blood. Their feet, instead of going the way of peace are there unto bloodshed. And the way of peace have they not known.

There is no fear of God before their eyes. Here it says their destruction and misery are in their ways. And the way of peace have they not known.

And here God is saying through the Holy Spirit, this young boy will grow up. He will be preparing the way of Jesus to lead people, to lead us into the way of peace. To be at one.

Be at one with our Father again. If you turn Luke 1 over to verses 16 and 17 and here's a I believe here's a part of this preparation that sometimes we think is not important, but I think it's tied right in here. We could say what I shared about going across the mountains, sharing the good news, the glad tidings.

That is one shoe, but we usually wear two shoes, don't we? Verse 16 it says, Luke 1 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. Talking about John the Baptist. This is when the angel was speaking with him Zacharias, talking with his father.

Many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. Turning people back to God. That was his heart.

That's the only way we'll truly experience peace. That's the only way those people in Papua New Guinea in India, Haiti, wherever they're at Knox County truly know peace. Be at one if their hearts are turned to the Lord.

Verse 17 He shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. It's like this angel was saying to really make this effective. The minister of Jesus Christ, not only are we turning people individually back to the Lord, but also fathers the hearts of fathers to their children.

I believe that's a big reason, a very large reason that the Church of Christ is not prospering today. This is just one of it. Because hearts of fathers are not turned to their children.

And the children children's hearts are not turned to the fathers. But first of all the father's hearts need to be turned to the children to prepare the way of the Lord. I don't understand it all, but it is scripture here.

This is what Jesus, what the angel said. He shall go before him. John the Baptist will go before you to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.

And the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. We can read this. This is actually the last scripture in the Old Testament.

I think we all know that. Malachi chapter 4 verse 5 and 6 Jesus, God is speaking and says I will send before you that great notable day of the Lord Elijah. I should just read that.

I don't want to get that wrong. The Old Testament, Old Covenant ends with these verses. Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children. The heart of the children to their fathers. Lest they come and smite the earth with a curse.

Malachi 3.1 it says behold I will send my messenger and he shall prepare thy way before thee. And the Lord whom he seeks shall suddenly come to this temple. Even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in.

Behold he shall come said the Lord of hosts. So this was this John. Actually one place we can read in the disciples were asking him and the Pharisees question with Jesus about who is John the Baptist and he says this is Elijah if you will receive it this is Elijah which was for to come.

He came in the way of righteousness is what Jesus testified to him. John came in the way of righteousness. So this I believe this is very important here and I believe it's something that each one of us needs to as fathers especially.

We don't have so many fathers here today but the ones actually that are married and have children just a few. Just be brave come up here and join me just for a moment. We're just people.

You might not like me for this but we're just the same. According to the word of God us right here are either the link to the Lord moving among us or we can be the block. Wouldn't you agree? Can we just take that responsibility and say here is actually where the buck stops here.

Does it not? We can blame a lot of things a lot of other things but right here I believe is where the Lord wants to press in each of us our hearts. It is my responsibility. It is your responsibility.

We're either the valve that is open for blessing upon our families and upon the church or the valve is closed. Why don't we pray Lord I pray for each father here each brother. Thank you for each one Lord.

So much of eternity is hinging upon these dear souls. Lord this morning I don't know why I did this or why we're doing this but Lord all of a sudden I have a burden for the family of God the body of Christ. Lord you know my sins and my weaknesses and you know all the needs of each dear brother here.

I just pray that we could just own up to our needs. You would have mercy on us Lord in these last days that we would lead turn our hearts first of all to our children our wives and our families. Turn our hearts to you.

Our disobedience to the wisdom of the just. Lord have mercy on us in these last days. My prayer pray a blessing upon each one of these fathers Lord.

Lord you know how many times I've longed to still have my father. Just go to him. Help their children as they look up here and see their father.

Realize what a blessing they have. Opportunity. God move amongst us Lord.

Help us be real. Have our hearts turn to you. In Jesus name.

Amen. Thank you. You can stay here if you want.

But this is what Malachi was prophesying. This is how God left it at the end. Elijah will come.

John the Baptist. He's going to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. Like I said, I don't understand that.

I don't understand at all the equation in God's economy. But I've often wondered. I've wondered when it's Meditator I've wondered how it actually was that when John started preaching and he preached repentance.

His was the baptism of repentance. What actually happened in the families? I believe it happened just like what he prophesied. I believe God's word is true.

Families were reunited. Fathers and sons were reunited. Wives and husbands.

And men were able to lead out in a godly manner again. In humility. In the fear of God.

Because their hearts were turned first of all to God and then to their children. To their fathers. I'd like to look at a father briefly here in Acts 10.

A very familiar story here. But I'm always fascinated with Cornelius here. I think I'll read here in verse 34.

Chapter 10. Verse 34. After Peter struggled with realizing actually this gospel is for those people in Papua New Guinea as it were.

Those heathen. Those Gentiles. Those dogs.

Us. When God finally got through to him with that vision. That trance he was in.

Seeing that vision three times. All the unclean animals. When he finally broke through to him and he went with those messengers over to Cornelius' home.

Verse 34. Peter opened his mouth and says, of the truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. It took him almost a lifetime to get to that place.

But in every nation, he that fears him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. Now we believe that we cannot work into righteousness of our own. But there was an element.

There's an element of righteousness here that God was looking at. It says, I the Lord run to and fro. I believe that there is a heart, even like I shared earlier, a young person that has that stirring that not quite sure where I'm at with the Lord.

But if your heart really wants to know truth. I want to be delivered. I want to know truth.

I want freedom. The eyes of the Lord see that also. He won't let you there.

I believe he won't. So the eyes of the Lord run to and fro to show themselves strong and on behalf of all those whose heart is perfect toward him. Cornelius didn't know about Jesus.

He wasn't born again. But his heart, there's something there. I believe that was the preparation part.

Just to say anyone can be saved. Yeah, I believe that. But I believe also in a John the Baptist preparing also.

If there's not a desire, if there's not a seeking after, I don't believe there's a clear deliverance either. Maybe you don't see that. Maybe I'm saying something that's wrong.

But I believe every person that's truly saved, there was just a brokenness there, just a longing, longing after God. I don't think he'll just push it upon someone, okay, you know, there you go. You walk away just kind of carelessly.

I don't believe that at all. Like this other brother shared a couple weeks ago. Brother Eli says the gospel is free.

I mean not by works of righteousness which we have done, but at the same time, I don't buy this easy believism that we just have a mental ascent agreement to a historical fact that happened. It really will affect us completely. It will change our life.

It will take us into the way of peace. Totally different course. That's what happened to me back then.

And that's what had to continue to happen. A few times I had to just really go back and just surrender completely again. Confess some things I had been holding to.

I find it's a daily thing that surrender. Take up your cross daily. Just staying there.

Deciding to stay there at the feet of Jesus. If not, I'm up on my feet going my own direction. Noah says walk with God.

Enoch, walk with God. I believe Enoch walked with such fervency with God and so close. Finally one day God said, you're closer on our side up here than down there.

Just come on home. God took him. He was not.

God took him. Walking with God. But here, Cornelius here says there was a righteousness accepted with him.

And Peter recognized there's something, there's some preparation that was going on in this heart. And today it's payday. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace.

Remember we're preaching the gospel of peace. Preaching peace by Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all.

I often wonder why is that little phrase in parentheses, he is Lord of all. I won't say it. He would just say That started to make sense in my mind when I was meditating on this.

There's only one way we can have peace with God, true peace that we recognize, come to a place that realizes he is Lord of all. That means Lord of me too. Lordship salvation will bring peace.

Anything else will not be true peace. I just want to lift that up today. He is Lord of all.

If you accept that and have that worked in your heart, I have that in my heart, and these fathers have that in their hearts, there will be peace in their heart and in their home. In my home. I see a lot of things sometimes in my home that I wish was different.

I try to fix it here and there but I just confess it all stops right here. If I'm not in my place, I can't point one finger. I can point a finger but there's always three pointing back at me.

That's where it starts. Father, we just need to take the responsibility and be like Cornelius. He is Lord of all.

Lordship salvation. Peace comes. True peace.

Lasting peace. Peace that we want. The way of peace will happen when we totally surrender.

Accept that he is Lord of all. I don't think I'll read the rest there. It would be good to read it, but I'd just like to turn to verse 44.

It says, While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the words. All those that their hearts had been prepared were doing their preparing without ever hearing that they needed to be born again. It seems that God saw that earnest heart that was seeking after him and he just couldn't wait to pour out his Holy Spirit upon them.

Without maybe even making a profession of faith, they had that testimony of preparation. I don't know how long Cornelius was doing it. It says in verse 2, chapter 10, Here was a man, one that feared God.

I believe his heart, even before this, he had done the John the Baptist thing. He had done the thing of repentance. He had done this heart turn toward his children.

It says, A devout man, Cornelius, a devout man, one that feared God with all his house. He had his house. He had the hearts of those children.

He had the hearts. They were all together in this. It says, He feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people and prayed to God always.

He was giving alms. He was sharing. He was praying.

If you can turn to, which verse is it here? He shared then with verse 30, he was sharing with Peter. When Peter came in his house, it says, Four days ago, I was fasting. Also, he was fasting.

The three things Jesus said, If you do in secret, I will reward you openly. He had been doing these things. Seeking God.

Maybe not even knowing about this Jesus, what Jesus had said, but he, today, he reaped the benefits of his preparing heart. Heart that was willing to prepare. He had a heart turned towards God.

I believe it was turned towards his children also. I think I went across this recently here. There's a few places, numerous places throughout the New Testament talks about certain man and his house.

Lydia, actually, one place was Lydia and her house. Probably didn't have a husband or maybe it died. But it's God, I believe it's God's heart that we experience household salvation.

Household salvation. Actually, that is what John the Baptist was sent for. Prepare the way of the Lord.

And you know, the things he preached, he had, I believe he had a fiery message. He was the spirit and the power like Elijah. I just read Elijah was dirt with a leather girdle and when Ahaziah, one of the kings fell, he says he fell, I think he fell out of a window and he hurt himself and he sent word to, he sent messengers down to Baal saying, hey, am I going to recover from this sickness? And the word of the Lord came to Elijah and said, go meet the messengers before they came to the Baal priest and says, you're not going to get off that bed because you went to Baal for help instead of me.

And he died on his bed too. And so when those messengers came back to Ahaziah, the king, they gave him the message of this prophet and he says, who was he? He said, well, he had a leather girdle on and he was a hairy man. And I just found it interesting that John the Baptist says he wore a coat of camel's hair and he had a leather girdle.

They actually gave him the same, somewhat dissimilar outerwear, probably something that was unusual. So if you want to be a John the Baptist, if you want to be prepared and feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace, you'll stand out. You'll not be the usual man.

You might be on the streets of Columbus quite a bit. It's a good thing. You probably will become more and more hated down there, but John the Baptist was also.

Encourage more young people. Get that vision. Have your feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

And you don't have to do it in Columbus. It can be your neighbors. But also, that's one shoe.

I'd just like to give you a thought. The other shoe is us as fathers. Make sure we're experiencing that relationship, having the hearts of our children.

Turn your hearts to your children. I believe that's why I've heard statistics already. I think it was years ago, just in the state of Florida, how many men are there in prison, incarcerated, and just hate their father.

Hate their father. And I find it's not only in the prisons. It's in churches too.

Young men do not like their father. To me, Lord, when Peter preached to Cornelius and the Holy Spirit came, the Spirit is a picture of a dove upon Jesus. What is more peaceful than a dove? A symbol of peace.

It's almost like the Lord couldn't wait. I want an outward visual. Everyone knows this household here.

Everyone that heard the word that had that same heart panting after God. That same heart gave them that outward manifestation of speaking in tongues. The dove came.

They are on the way of peace. Luke 14. As we think about Cornelius and his surrender there, his heart.

I'd like to look at a phrase here in Luke 14, a story or a parable that Jesus gave, or some hypothetical example. It's verse 26 of chapter 14. It says, any man come to me.

Just talking about Lord's salvation. And hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yea, and his own life also. He cannot be my disciple.

In other words, if you want peace, if you want true peace, it takes complete surrender to me, to the Lord Jesus. And whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you intending to build a tower, a citizen not downed first, and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it.

Less happily, or perhaps, after he hath laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begins to mock him, saying, this man began to build, was not able to finish. Verse 31, this is really 31 to 33. Let's look at these especially.

Of what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not downed first and consulteth whether he be able with 10,000 to meet him, that cometh against him with 20,000. Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassadge and desireth conditions of peace. He sends some messengers.

I'd just like to look at those few words, conditions, desiring conditions of peace. Peace comes after that desiring like Cornelius had, and he met the conditions. You know, we can say that the gospel is free.

It is free. I'm so glad. But it's like, sometimes you might receive a sweepstakes offer in the mail.

And I hope you never signed up for any of those or tried to get that get-rich-quick mentality. But even, no matter how glamorous it is, and how much money you can win, and all those, no strings attached, you read the fine print, there's always terms and conditions. It won't happen unless you sign up.

There's something that you have to do before it kicks in. And those things are not actually real. Most of them are probably fake.

But Jesus here, he will never, never lie to us. He will fulfill his part. If, I'll say this, if we desire conditions of peace, there's no way that I can come, if I'm a king, come against him.

He is coming with his 20,000, and that's the Lord. He's coming with his 20,000. There's no way that we will be a match for that in our own strength.

Best thing to do, send that preparation, those messengers. Just send them ahead. Say, we are desiring conditions of peace.

You know, when Douglas MacArthur, at the end of the World War II, when the Japanese surrendered, I don't know what all they were trying to negotiate on. They asked him, what are the conditions of peace? And he said, it's absolute, unconditional surrender. Unconditional, there's nothing for you from now on.

And he basically wrote up a new constitution for Japan. And all the peace that they've had since, and what we're reaping here by Hond and Camry cars, a lot of that, all that came out of a peaceful democracy. I don't know how long it'll last.

That's just an earthly thing. But it just came about because he was firm, he was strong with his unconditional surrender. And part of the peace treaty they had, an agreement is that we will have a right as the U.S. to keep a presence there, a military presence to ensure that.

I don't think there's anything different when we surrender the Lord Jesus Christ and we give His Holy Spirit. He's saying, I want to stay there and make sure that I am reigning. It's not a harsh thing.

It's the most blessed, liberating thing to have Jesus Christ reigning in my heart and your heart. But we need to desire conditions of peace, like the army that had 10,000. You'll never win the war.

We are, in our own strength, in our, whatever we think we can do, whatever we think we are, in our religion, our church, our own power, we're just not enough. We'll never make it. The 20,000 is coming.

The best thing you can do, young person, older person, father especially, send that word ahead, desire conditions of peace. That I'm done. I'm like this Japanese.

Total surrender. Total surrender. That's the only way that I will find true and lasting peace.

Maybe this is not what you are expecting to hear today about your feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I believe it is that part of going out, but I also believe it is part of preparing. Your feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

That's actually what it says. You just look at what John the Baptist, what he was called to, what he did. I know there's many, many young people, many children that are just longing for that experience in their homes, just wanting.

Many wives are just longing for that in their husbands. His heart will be turned to me and to the children. May God have mercy upon us.

Isaiah 48, I just came across this. This is the other morning. Chapter 48, verse 16.

It says, God is speaking. Come ye near unto me. Hear ye this.

I have not spoken in secret from the beginning. From the time that it was, there am I. And now the Lord God and His Spirit have sent me. Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

I am the Lord, thy God, which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. We're talking about feet today. We're talking about way, and we're talking about peace.

God wants to teach us in a profitable way. He wants us to profit. He wants to lead us in the way that we should go.

Then it says, verse 18, O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! Then hath thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. I just trust today that every one of us will experience complete, lasting peace in Christ Jesus. But we have to hearken.

We have to turn. We do the preparing part in our life. Turn our hearts to Him.

Turn to Him. And He will turn to us. And our peace will be as a river.

And our righteousness as the waves of the sea. You know, in Acts 2, when they baptized, there was 3,000 in one day. I'm not sure if it actually says in one day, but there was 3,000 that were saved.

I was wondering, why such a great... I know there's a picture of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old Covenant, what, 3,000 died on Mount Sinai when the law was given. But here, there's life in the New Covenant.

3,000 were saved. But I would tend to think that the ministry of John the Baptist, that preparation part, affected a lot of those people. Their hearts were right, at the right place, and they were just right for harvest.

You might never see so much harvest, especially fathers, even. You might think that I'm not doing so much. But if you have the hearts of your children, having your hearts turn towards them, it's a major milestone.

It's something that doesn't... that's a rare commodity in our nation, day and age now. But I think... I would tend to think there's a lot of those people who are very receptive. Their hearts have been... had been preparing.

They were seeking after John. They remember John the Baptist and the words he spoke and how he challenged them. And when Jesus was shared, a great harvest.

May we be part of that. Okay. I think that's enough said.

Let's pray. Father in Heaven, I thank you again that you are a God of peace.