Sunday Evening Worship Service
by Anthony McCool
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Psalm 34:14, Ephesians 6:15, Acts 4:10, Acts 4:12, Acts 4:13, Isaiah 9:6-7, Joshua 1:2-3

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/anthony-mccool--sunday-evening-worship-service-88
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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if you're living in the light why don't you say so for just a minute let the redeemed of the Lord say so clap your hands all your people and Shout out a voice of Praise of Triumph of Victory we're living in the light would you give him one more hand clap of Praise yes Jesus keep that same Spirit as you make your way back to your seats and welcome everyone to Sunday evening here at First Apostolic church thank you for all of the testimony and the prayers that have gone before me the praise team musicians singers ushering us into his presence and I believe God has something here for us this evening as we come to him tonight with great expectation for our lives with our needs and we believe that he can transform and bring miracles on this evening if you have your bibles if you would open up to the book of Psalm chapter 34 and we'll start with verse 14 and we'll also read from Ephesians 6 and 15 Psalm 3414 says depart from Evil and do good seek peace and pursue it everybody say pursue Ephesians 6:15 says and your feet shod this verse is taken from the armor of God putting on the full armor of God Ephesians 6:15 and your feet Shaw with the preparation of the gospel of peace if you would for a few moments this evening I would like to speak speak to you from the topic what you wear on your feet matters what you wear on your feet matters let's pray over this word at this time Heavenly Father we thank you tonight Lord we thankful for the opportunity that you have given us to assemble here together once again to lift up your name on high to worship together to pray together to share our testimonies together to sing together to lift up your name Lord we thank you for what you've done throughout the duration of this Sunday the bap AP ISM this morning and Lord we're thankful in advance for what you're going to do at the close of this service Lord we live a life of Faith praising you in advance knowing that in your name in your presence there is healing and victory we thank you and Praise You In jesus' name we pray amen what you wear on your feet matters as we seek to understand the scriptures and to apply them to our daily lives we fre frequently encounter principles that seem at first glance to be an opposition to one another there can be a tension if you will as it were between this one set of verses found in this chapter or this set of verses found in this book and the collective instruction in general might seem as a potential contradiction and one pulls one way of thinking and the other in a different dire ction Bishop told on Wednesday night when he first received the gift of the Holy Ghost that people were praying for him and one lady was saying hold on and another guy was saying let go and one person was saying run and you might hear a sermon say be still and you're like what what am I supposed to do or somebody will preach in the morning talking about going and then that night service is talking about waiting and you're like whoa whoa whoa what am I supposed to do here but with just a surface analysis for instance there's seems also to be a tension at times between mercy and Justice between having an appropriate fear of God and also having unreserved intimacy with him or between our relationship with God of being that of a servant but also having the inheritance and the promise of a child of God a son and daughter but in reality the scriptures are in perfect Unity these apparent conflicts can be readily understood and properly framed when the entirety of God's word is considered and balanced against itself these topics compel us to dig a little deeper in study and meditation such a tension exists between the necessity of standing our ground for Christ and yet advancing fearlessly for him that we remain steadfast un movable we hear these words played out in hymns and songs and preaching but yet always continuing to move forward we are to guard carefully the spiritual Treasures we have while consistently seeking to acquire greater and greater riches in the Kingdom we're pulled one way to Simply fortify and protect and we're pulled another way to fortify and progress It's possible for the blood washed child of God to be both protected and yet progressing a key to this seeming conflict is found in that portion of scripture the armor of God as it is and specifically when it's applied to our feet it says the preparation of the gospel of peace in that portion of our Armament we find how to shelter those items of value that we possess while actively and militantly advancing to new places in Christ Jesus and all of us have our modern day Armament our modernday protection the protection that we wear in our everyday many jobs involve being on your feet for the majority of your workday these types of jobs require a good sturdy and durable pair of shoes durable shoes specifically designed for your line of work otherwise the worker is going to struggle to keep up with their workload and the last thing you want on an8 hour shift is blisters and uncomfort and some of you are laughing right now about working eight hours you say you wish it was eight hours behind me they'll show a video here we have here a a business pair of shoes men's women's dress shoes that could represent the business world uh still towed work boots uh a lot of cushion maybe you're going around the hospital floor that video is move can can that video be slowed down just a little bit it's moving pretty quick if we could go just kind of frame by frame let we start at the beginning if possible all right we've got a business pair of shoes here that could represent the business world and next after this can we pause it right there for just a second go back it's like flying it's supposed to have like that's all right that's all right but you might have a steel toed pair of shoes on uh that protect you from bricks hitting the toes of it uh you might have a a tennis shoe that's got a a real thick sole in it maybe you're in the medical field and you're making your rounds at all hours of the night or early in the morning to check on your patients and you saw maybe you got to have ankle support or maybe you're you know when you see Michael Jordan that's the epitome of the athletic shoe that you lace up and even if you can't shoot a basketball you you tie those bad boys on and you just got this extra sense of power and there's something about that Jordan logo when you put it onto your feet and that's the gold standard of Athletics if you will to the extent that it goes on Far be be uh even basketball you see entire schools that they might be playing football or baseball and they've got a Jew a guy playing basketball on their logo but there's something about that that image that you know when he laced those up there was going to be a comeback or a a final shot uh that was going to go in at the buzzer and they were going to get get Victory and you saw the pair of the new balance as well and those are a scary sight that means that there's a dad on the loose that's a about to go to Home Depot a few times with you and show you how to get some work done and then at the very end you saw the fireman's uh boot that has all of this protection in it protection against extreme heat uh protection against flame that can endure all of these different extremities and you know that it matters what you have on your feet whatever profession that you're in whether you're in the business world and you you got to keep them shine to make a a good presentation or to look you know very businesslike whatever that whatever that means or maybe you got a steel toe on because you're going to be doing some some dangerous stuff this is a modernday protection that you place on your feet and it's not just about your personal Comfort but you have proper Footwear for the profession that you're in cuz you might be on your feet all night all day and the shoes you wear are Paramount your shoes need to support your body from the stress of standing they need to be able to absorb from the ground and what you wear on your feet matters it represents the battle that you enter into each day the shifts even the extra shift shifts the late night uh those shoes that you you put on that you go out into the battlefield of the day that represents your occupation or your profession that you go out to with to provide for your family or you go out to to make a living or you pick up extra hours or through the circumstances of life you're raising your kids on your own but you go to work every day saving up the money in your Moder day armor to make sure that the generation below you to make sure that your kids have a chance and it represents the mornings that you woke up and by all accounts you were sick and you you needed to call in and you you you needed healing and and rest for your body but you know that you had to get up and put that armor on and and get to work it it represents those times in your life when all hell was breaking loose even or maybe you suffered incomprehensible loss in your life or the loss of a loved on and and really you needed some days to grieve and really you needed a work but that next morning when the sun came up you had a family to provide for and you laced them up and put them on once again in whatever profession that you are in and it represents the battle of the everyday life and the fight that you face every day providing for your family the Bible instructs us that the feet need protection the Bible uses many different images to clarify the multifaceted nature of our relationship with our Lord and not the least of these is the depictions of that of a soldier and the church is certainly not some sort of paramilitary force in this world but we are called to fight the good fight and fighting against principalities and spiritual powers and Pastor m talked about it before prayer going to together collectively for prayer knowing that we serve a God that's greater than anything in this world and that he can over change the outcomes of the situations in our life and therefore as faithful soldiers in God's Army we can glean much from the skills and values and equipments of a natural Soldier to the Casual Observer it's apparent that soldiers in a combat environment have two primary objectives one is to inflict harm to the enemy and the second is to protect themselves from harm Advanced clothing protective helmets bulletproof Armament protective eyewear durable gloves and so forth all combined to make a modern Soldier as impervious to injury as possible while enabling them to overcome the adversary as quickly as possible and among this vinyl protective gear soldiers where is the sturdy and robust Footwear soldiers don't wear flip-flops they wear combat boots and the reason is self-evident the soldier who cannot walk is a soldier that's destined for defeat a soldier unsteady on their feet is neither able to withstand the enemies assault or poised to aptly apply a launch against him in order to effectively carry out the battle plan he must secure their footing and provide stability and Mobility as needed so though the boot may not be So Glamorous the feet are quite important to the battlefield survival and excess and protection of the feet depends on how they are covered and where they are stand and we have something tonight the gospel that both protects and it also propels God uses the imagery of the feet being protective as a vital life lesson for us as a sermon for our everyday lives of how we should represent him in the every day and how we should use this to also progress and what God has called us to do Paul delineated the armor that equips the child of God he he said don't neglect your feet they need to be shaw with the gospel and the preparation of peace and we should never underestimate we should never underestimate the value of the Gospel sometimes in our our flesh when we're going out to war for our family and we're going out to War for the things in our life we can become like Peter who quickly reached for his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest and not even initially go to the word of God for direction or go to the gospel for where we need to make our decisions and we should never underestimate the value and the power that God has given us the gospel in our willingness to declare it protects our footing in this unstable World The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not an insignificant influence in our culture some have mistakenly deemed the gospel as a weak and fragile Force but yes you got to do this or yes but also you got to do this the gospel stands alone on its own and it needs not us to add anything to it it needs us not to be an apologist for It Whatever situation or need you have the answer to it it is in this book many times what we feel like is the proper means of fighting is the product of creative religious Minds rather than the very plan of God and nothing could be further from the truth his gospel is rugged and enduring it's living and everlasting it's so powerful is his gospel that the viest of Sinners can have one in obedient interaction with it and be eternally changed sin is subject to it hell cannot resist it death is conquered by it and no skeptic can quiet its influence while the gospel is certainly strong and tough enough to withstand all test of t times it's also neither abrasive nor unkind the gospel confronts us where we are and it compels us to change it's not cruel and it's not heartless and neither should we be whose feet are to be shaw by it his gospel is the good news bathed in peace Paul said our feet are properly Shaw when the gospel we bear oh is not marked by our eloquent words that you know I can rip somebody shrim to shred and I can really show them how smart I am with this word absolutely not it says Our Gospel is not driven by aggression and pride rather with humility driven by gratitude we may simply declare his gospel and let it do its own work Charles Spurgeon said defend the Bible I would as soon defend a lion just unchain it and it will defend itself we are to here to declare war by declaring the gospel we're not to find people in doing so our feet are made vulnerable if we are not Shaw with the gospel of peace and if we're Shaw with the gospel of strife or the gospel of conflict or the gospel of division or the gospel of being judgmental or the uh the gospel of gossip be assured that your feet will not be protected one of my greatest one of the greatest passages in the word of God and one of my favorites found in Acts 4 and this is Peter and John Peter who had just spoke about a few verses ago who was in his flesh and you know he had been sleeping when Jesus told him to pray but oh now he's ready to fight right you know he had been at the Last Supper just all you know the Last Supper you know m God manifest in flesh that he had just told him that he was going to deny him and Peter's like oh even if I Must Die For You Christ I I'll die for you and Jesus is like okay great but somebody's still going to you're going to deny me and then they go and uh he says uh just keep watching pray no I I'll die for you I I'm ready to fight that's great Peter keep watching pray Peter falls asleep Jesus gives him a second time Peter falls asleep again gives him a third time falls asleep again and now all of a sudden Peter's taking off somebody's ear but but Peter learned his lesson and now we see in Acts four a a different Peter a Peter with a testimony now a more mature Peter a Peter who had been in the word and influenced by the word be it known unto you all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified whom God raised from the dead even by him did this man stand before you whole they had a testimony in front of them it wasn't a bunch of theologians that had gotten together and given this extrapolation of of scripture and all of these commentaries and why it's true but there was a living breathing testimony in front of them and he said this is the stone talking about Jesus that the builders put to the side and now he's become the head of the corner and he said neither you guys listening to me neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved isn't this this fisherman isn't this this guy who pulled a sword earlier and in verse 13 it says now they saw the boldness and you look at that that word boldness translated it talks about uh being bold and confident in what they're saying not with being abrasive and and not not being provocative in the sense of trying to incite conflict but they were had boldness in the faith of what they were talking about they were so assured about being a witness and then it says when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived and they knew that they were unlearned and ignorant and they marveled and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus and beholding the man which was healed standing with them how are we going to argue with that Pastor mul preached about it this morning if we want to have church growth if we want to if if we want to be the church we need a demonstration of his power we've got to be in one mind and one Accord and when healings begin to take place when Miracles begin to take place oh you talk about the gospel going forth it's not anything we can do but it's the gospel of peace it's the covenantal promise available to every one of us what would cause what would cause a saint of God like brother Brian a smart man an intelligent man to get out of his seat and start running around this house it's because he has faith and understanding that whatever trial or tribulation that he might face whatever circumstance might come his way even if he doesn't have the answers he knows that every step he takes that there is a promise that is for him that God's going to protect him if we'll live by his word when I put my will aside when I put my wants aside and say not my will but thy will be done he gives us the ability he protects us to not just stay where we're at but he's going to say take another step forward progress just a little bit further go a little bit further and God is going to supply all your needs according to his riches and glory and he's going to bring healing and he's going to provide and he's going to make a way when there is no way if you believe that why don't you give him a hand clap of Praise if we'll have the gospel of peace if we'll put our preconceived notions aside if we'll put our flesh aside in his writing to the Church of Rome I would imagine they were probably suffering persecution there in Rome if you do a little research he alludes back to the prophet Isaiah Isaiah spoke about how beautiful are the feet of them that bring the gospel from on high from the mountains and what Isaiah specifically is referring to is that there would be Watchmen and foot soldiers who would go up to the peaks of the mountain when a neighboring adversary your enemy was coming in and they would try to meet them before they got too close to the Fortified Area and once the battle was won and there was peace those Watchmen would come sprinting down the hill to let the people know that there's victory that there is healing that there there is peace now in the land and them coming down from that high elevation the first thing they would see would be the feet and we see the Apostle Paul Now using this same imagery using this same illusion saying how beautiful are the feet of those that preach the gospel we were in Atlanta Georgia on a field trip about two years ago and it was getting late about 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. the daylight savings time it's dark we get on the bus with all the students and would you know we have a flat tire we start calling places there's a little bit of traffic in Atlanta at times if you didn't know you start calling places on Friday evening at 5 o'l ain't nobody picking up the phone come change a what a bus oh uh you know I think we're already closed for the day but you answered the phone well good luck you know so we called and called and called I think we called 15 16 people finally this guy answered he said yeah I could probably help you he was not the most eloquent spee he said how big as that tire I said well if you'll FaceTime me it's about you know this big you know he told me where to go find the the measurement at cuz those buses they got tires on the inside and the outside and and he he looked up the model and told me right to go where go look and he said I'll be there in about 25 30 minutes like praise God and you're texting texting him trying to and it's green he's doesn't have an Apple phone and I'm like is he even getting this so we're you know we're we're at the mercy of this guy coming or we're spending the night in downtown Atlanta hopefully the hotel across the street has occupancy I mean it's that's that's that's where we're at this guy shows up in a big old truck it's probably got like 35s on it bunch of tools in the back he gets out of the truck eating I mean Steel Toad they had grease on them oil on them I think one of them wouldn't even tied they worn through it type type boats that guy threw his Snickers down in the seat looks at it and he goes yep I can fix it I said praise God can I help you and he kind of laughed at me and he just he got so he went and got the jack in about 20 30 minutes we got a brand new tire on that bus I mean we picked that guy up put him on our shoulders for he's a jolly good fellow he's like it ain't that big I said you have no idea you talking you you talking about the best looking pair of shoes that I had ever seen in my entire life you talking about the best looking pair of boots Italian exotic Gucci loafers might as well has been chump change in comparison to the boots that man right there was wearing those boots represented something to me it was hey we're going to we're going to get this Pro straighten out I'm going to get you to your next destination we've heard Bishop preach about this same passage before and he said if you're laid down and the house is on fire and smoke is filling your nostrils and you're just there's Flames engulfed all around you and you're thinking this is probably probably in the end but then all of a sudden that door comes smashing open and those boots like I showed you earlier the the only thing that you can get a glimpse of are those boots of the firemen those those worn boots you talk about beautiful feet you talk about a beautiful shoe a shoe or some feet that's going to bring you peace some feet that's going to bring you healing some feet that's going to to to to bring you out of your mess and I can't help but think the woman who fought through the crow that had the issue of blood pressed through the crown and tried everything else in this world and she got to those feet of Jesus Oh and said if you give me a little latitude here what the scripture I imagine she saw those feet of Jesus and said yes those are the ones I've tried everything else and she reached up and touched the Hemm of His Garment and he said who touched me oh and I just believe tonight that's what God has called us to be in this hour people that whatever profession that we're in people that wherever we go whatever he's called us to do to bring healing to bring comfort and to bring peace and I want you to know tonight that along with what God has called us to do and the imagery and the protection of our feet that he's also given you the protection to move forward in whatever circumstance that you find yourself in tonight and that the enemy's probably been whispering in your ear that this event in life is what is going to Define you permanently or this season of life is what you're going to continue to stay in for a long time but I came to let hell know tonight and let the devil know tonight that he is a liar and you have a covenantal promise and you have the feet protected with peace and that you can step forward in whatever circumstance Syrian musicians and praise team come and you have the ability to not only resist but to also move forward the protection of our footing accomplishes two objectives this is the Paradox of the Gospel they're not contradictory but they're complimentary the gospel of peace protects us from falling by providing a solid and movable foundation on which to stand on this gospel but it further gives us traction for advancement that we may progress both in our walk with God and our walk for him we are equipped to stand but also to walk to resist but also advance to diligently refuse to be pushed backwards while purposefully resolving to move forward we are protected so that we may progress you're not called to live in that season forever you're not called to live in that circumstance forever your mind is not called to experience those things forever the word of God tells us that the enemy cometh to steal to kill and destroy and he's content if you're just occupying a Pew and being a spectator instead of a participator he's content if you because of some circumstance in your life or because of a situation in your life he's content with you just throwing things an idol and never getting out of that specific State he's content if you'll just come to church but still live in that shame just a little bit he's content if you'll come to church but still allow your mind to be oppressed with that regret he came to steal your time he came to kill your joy and he comes to destroy what God has called you to do and what's he called us to do to bring that gospel of peace to others to our family to those around us he's equipped you our our our Holiness is is not so we can be in some isolated uh uh live some isol of life outside of the world it's to protect us to go out into this world with the the way that we behave the way we conduct ourselves the way we treat One Another Not For a Moment should we assume that simply because we are equipped to stand against the attacks that we're just passive survivors in this spiritual conflict we're far from that we're called to be more than conquerors stand with me God fully anticipates his children marching victoriously into the enemy's camp but you've got to March you've got to step forward by faith you've got to have trust in his word that every step that you take that you're stepping into new efforts and new Ministries New Seasons new victory God's kingdom is one of unending expansion Isaiah for told hundreds of years before Christ's birth for unto us a child is born unto us a son of is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name Shall be Called wonderful counselor the Mighty God the Everlasting father the Prince of Peace of the increase of his government in peace shall there be no end his legislative Authority if you will in a modern context every covenantal promise is available to you and don't for one second in your life and I'm preaching to myself neglect the power of this gospel neglect the power of this gospel when it tells you that you need to find an altar neglect the power of this gospel that says you need to Worship in the midst of the storm you need to lift your hands in the presence of your enemy you need to have bold faith in the shadow of the giant in your life in the when calling out to him in the midst of the storm saying peace be still this gospel has the answer for everything that you need need from Genesis to Revelation in the Book of Joshua we read a powerful powerful verse God says Moses my servant oh the great Moses the lawgiver the author of the Torah this this leader of the Israelites out of Egypt God said Moses is dead our servant Moses is dead Moses was great Moses has a legacy but he's dead now there arise therefore arise go over this Jordan there's a new River to be crossed and all this people into the land which I give unto you EV of the children of Israel and he says Joshua every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon I have given unto you and as I did to Moses the same promise available for every single step that you take there might be conflict in your family in some capacity it could be in your marital relationship it could be conflict with between you and a loved one conflict between you and your children there might be a bad report in your life there might be job situation or worry about finances all all of these different things God's calling you tonight to have trust in his word it's not diminishing how great and how high the mountain is but it's elevating that there's something even higher it's not always going to be immediate but I'm reminded of that mudder's song that states we have a savior Carol McGruder wrote it like this he said I've walked through vast valleys blinded by mountains with Peaks that seem too high to climb but I recall learning how great mountain climbers and Priscilla would already be out in the audience holding somebody's hand how great Mountain climers they conquer one step at a time she's saying I've watched blue rivers with strong currents raging wondered if they could ever be crossed but my rivers and mountains became soft gentle fountains because why because of an Old Rugged Cross we have a savior would you LIF hands such a wonderful savior I want you to know tonight that whatever need you have there's a word for you in your season there's a word for you in your situation and he's calling on you tonight to just take a step forward it might not happen overnight it might not happen in the time that you wish it would but this word of God if you have faith in it and if you'll have trust in it you're you're protected to advance and God will lead you out of that season God will give you new victory God will bring fresh Mana fresh peace new healing new Deliverance my the one yes will there's a new season there's a new season will never I trust in God it's not discounting what's happening it's not sweeping things from the past it's reconciling them with the word of God it says you're going to provide you're going to protect not by my flesh not by my will but your word I the Lord oh with you worship why find somebody right now to pray with find somebody right now to pray with we fight the good fight the good fight we wrestle not with I'm I'm moving forward I'm moving forward I'm moving forward [Music] Jesus you come at me with a SW and shield I got something mightier I come at you in the name of the Lord I come at you with this word I come at you with the gospel of peace oh it gets me excited when I begin to think that I serve a god who's going to protect I serve a god who's going to provide I serve a god who's going to heal if I'll keep the way if I'll stay the paast if I'll keep the fight he's going to make a way he's going to make a way he's going to make a way get Jes Jus yes Jesus oh I don't have the answers I don't have the answers but I trust you I don't know what it looks like but I love you Lord I know you're going to make a way yes