What Feet Tell You About a Christian
Romans 10:11-21
DATE:
26 Mar, 2000 AM
PLACE: BBC Blarney
I.
Introduction (Isa 52:7)
A. Do you know what the Lord notices about a Christian - their feet! I usually notice a person if they are smiling, or are extra tall, or big! But God notices feet.
B. Strange isn't it? Why would the Lord be interested in feet for? You can tell a lot about a person by the condition of their feet - spiritually speaking.
C. The feet of a Christian tell you
1. Where the person has been - house-shoes, or mucky boots
2. Whether the person is a worker, or lazy - good condition, or worn
3. Whether the person is a sprinter or a long-hauler - ankles taped up
D. Notice where the feet have been - up upon the mountains - not the easy places
E. Notice the Gospel message here
1. Good tidings - Good news - the Gospel
2. The publishing of peace - peace between God and man
3. Just plain good - no matter how rough, the message is GOOD
4. The publishing of salvation - that is the focus - getting back to God
5. The report that God still reigns - in spite of a whole world ignoring Him; in spite of people crucifying Jesus - His resurrection proves He is alive
F. To God, anybody who carries this message of salvation, has beautiful feet!
II.
Message - Beautiful
Feet (Romans
10:11-21)
A. Beautiful Feet Are Not Hesitant (10:11)
1. Most of our feet are!
2. The feet in this room, if we would be honest are: afraid, ashamed, embarrassed of the gospel message
a. Such a contradiction - that those who have trusted such a Saviour, would ever be ashamed of Him
b. Such a contrast - the one thing we can really get all fired up about, and excited about, and yet we don't
c. Such a conflict - within ourselves, as we discover that the one thing that is stopping, or hindering the Gospel the most are the ones who are called to proclaim it!
3. To have beautiful feet, you must
a. Have Him - church, religion, faith is so empty - so dead without Jesus. You have to know and love Jesus, to WANT to be a witness!
b. Have His Word - can't go around with "I hope so," or "I am not sure," or "Our best guess would be…" You need THUS SAITH THE LORD!
4. This world needs to see a Christian with a confident, sure, steady walk
a. With God
b. And for the lost - we walk for people in need, and for needy causes. We need to walk for souls!
B. Beautiful Feet Are Not Particular (10:12,13)
1. Not Particular where they go (2Cor 10:16)
2. Not Particular who they talk to
a. Did you know there is no difference between a Jew and a Gentile? They both are sinners. They both need salvation
b. Did you know there is no difference between an Irishman, and an American? NONE!
c. Did you know, as far as God is concerned, there is no difference, really, between ANYBODY in this room - we are ALL in the same boat so to speak (1Tim 2:5)
3. How particular are you about who you talk to?
a. Do you find it more difficult to tell doctors they are lost?
b. Or how about solicitors
c. Or how about people who live in the Glen, or Knocknaheeny
d. Or how about the wealthy, or politicians?
e. Or how about your neighbours - I am so often hesitant with them!
f. Christians have always told everyone (Col 1:25-28)
4. God is rich towards ALL who call upon Him - so great a verse (10:12,13)
a. Do you realise the kind of person that can be saved? All they have to be is a whosoever!
b. Do you realise the kind of person who gets heard all the way up in heaven, when they ask for forgiveness from all their sins? Just be a "whosoever!"
5. Beautiful feet literally go anywhere, and take the gospel to anybody
a. Is there anyplace you wouldn't like to go?
b. Is there anyone you don't want to witness to?
c. Well, guess what - that place, and to those people you are most assuredly called! AMEN! See Jonah!!!
C. Beautiful Feet Walk a Narrow Way (10:14,15) Watch God's Design here:
1. People need to call upon the Lord to be saved - no other way
a. No ooey gooey feeling
b. No saying a set prayer that someone else wrote
c. No going to a church, and feeling better afterwards
d. People need to repent, and cry out to Christ to have mercy on them!
e. Too much of Christian "psychology" and not straight talk
2. To call on Jesus, they have to believe on Jesus - Believe not just with the head, but whole heart
3. To believe on Jesus, they have to know about Him, and find out He is worth trusting
4. To know about Jesus, people need to hear about Him
5. To hear about Jesus, people need a preacher
a. Someone who declares what God said - just telling it like it is
b. Someone who goes to the people - instead of waiting for them to come to God
6. Do you realise what it takes for all that to take place?
a. A bunch of Christians committed to living like God commanded us to live - working as a team
b. A bunch of Christians who just go and go and go like Jesus commanded (Mt 28:19,20)
7. Without obedience to Christ's command to go, out feet stink!
D. Beautiful Feet Carry a Preacher (10:15)
1. More than just a Christian. More than just a believer - more than just a daddy, or a mommy, or a worker, or a singer, or a football player, or a businessman - God give us a heart to be a preacher in what we do
a. A preacher means someone who opens their mouth and talks about Christ
b. At day of Pentecost, 12 men preached with other tongues for a brief moment, to get everybody's attention, and then spoke plainly of Jesus
2. When our feet carry a preacher, they shine like the sun
a. Because they fulfill their design - made to carry a preacher
b. Because they ferry precious cargo: a heart for souls, and a cure for sin (10:17) only the word of God gives faith, and only faith in what the Bible says saves (1Pet 1:23)
3. Do you know what it takes to have preachers?
a. A church that trains, and equips people to preach
b. A church that is willing to send out preachers
c. A church ready to support preachers, prayerfully and financially
A. Beautiful Feet Cross Through Enemy Territory (10:16,18)
1. The people you witness to do not like what we have to say - it is a negative message to them. It is like people from one country, trying to get people in another country to switch sides. The world uses guns and bombs to persuade - Christians use the Gospel!!!
2. Did you know that the Gospel is something to be obeyed (Act 13:46-49)?
3. The Gospel is not something to be incorporated into our lives - just added to a whole lot of other opinions, and guesses! It must be obeyed, from the heart (Rom 6:17)
a. Because with the heart, we exercise faith, and obtain righteousness. The mind guides the heart, but the heart itself must make the final conclusion.
b. Because with the mouth, we show our righteousness (John 12:42,43) - an open life lived clearly for Christ (10:11). The mouth, and hence, the life is affected by the heart’s decision.
1) Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2) Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
3) 2 Thessalonians 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
4) Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (not are perfect)
5) 1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
E. Beautiful Feet Have Unexpected Results (10:19-21) - That's why I go! That's why ANY Christian ends up going and presenting the work of Christ on the cross - because it works when we think it can't! AMEN!
1. Everyone has heard enough - without excuse according to Romans 1
a. Everybody has heard the creation say “God exists.” But they are not interested - as the Jews are not!
b. Everybody knows there is an awareness that they are wrong, and in trouble
c. But what they may need more than anything else, is someone to look beyond all their rejections, and their sinfulness, and their attitudes, and touch their hearts with the love of God!
2. But not everybody responds the same way
a. Those who you would think would get saved, usually don't - as with the Jews (John 1:10,11) - they had the Bible, had the promises
1) I have had so many people I really thought would repent
2) Only to watch them end up mocking Christ and walking away
b. Those who you think won't respond, usually do - the Gentiles - ungodly, as far away from God as possible, and yet seem to get saved at the drop of a hat!
1) And then there are those who you say are the impossible ones
2) The people you think are so far gone, will surprise you
3) That's why you really can never just right off people
4) God doesn't even do that with the Jews
a) He even uses the Gentiles to provoke the Jews to jealousy!
b) Think back how God got your heart!
III.
Conclusion -
A. Beautiful Feet Are Not Hesitant - are you willing to go, and go
B. Beautiful Feet Are Not Particular - be consistent
C. Beautiful Feet Walk a Narrow Way - Living and preaching it God's way
D. Beautiful Feet Carry a Preacher - what are your feet carrying?
E. Beautiful Feet Cross Through Enemy Territory - not going to have great receptions, and big smiles
F. Beautiful Feet Have Unexpected Results - but you will have results