The Gospel Shoes

Ephesians 6:15 KJV 1900

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

The shoes of a Roman soldier were called Caliga, which was a half-boot. Much like the belt, this was not so much a protective armor as it was an element of preparedness and readiness.

The Caliga were designed to be worn in long marches.

The clear call of this verse is not so much that we have our feet protected by the Gospel, but that we have our feet prepared to march on with the Gospel.

Isaiah 52:7 KJV 1900

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; That bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; That saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Paul will quote from that very verse in Romans 10:15, using the same phrase as he does here.

“The gospel of peace.”

The Gospel of peace is the Gospel of “the Lord reigns.” The Lord does reign, and the Gospel is good news of peace because the Prince of Peace, through the Gospel, comes to reign within us.

I hope you know and believe this Gospel of peace, and if you do, I hope you spread it. Because that is the call in this verse.

The Gospel is to be on the move. These shoes are made for walking and carrying the message.

What’s the Big Idea?

In our stand against the attacks of the evil one, we must be prepared with readiness to make the Gospel known.

What to Know

We must know the Gospel’s Content.

What is the definition of Gospel? What does that word mean?

Good news, and what is news? It is something to be told and declared.

Well, if we are to be carriers of the good news, we should know what the good news says, right?

1 Corinthians 15:1–8 KJV 1900

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

What does Paul say about the gospel? What are the verbs?

I declare

You received

You stand

in it you are saved

The Gospel is that message that is so great, that all true believers are transformed.

And what is the content, then, of this message?

death

burial

resurrection

Paul says that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised the third day.

What else does he say about Christ?

he was seen.

Eyewitness.

We are witnesses of this, in the scripture, and in our own lives.

We must know the Gospel’s Importance.

News is only news if it is relevant. In a world of censorship and biased media, we have all sort of entities and political interests deciding what news is relevant for us, what is important that we know.

So why is the Gospel, the good news of the work that Christ has done for us, relevant and important?

Romans 1:18–21 KJV 1900

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

What is revealed?

God’s wrath

God is perfect in all his ways.

What do men do with the truth?

hold it down, suppress it.

What does it say that men do not have?

an excuse

What does it say about the hearts of men?

they are darkened

Why, then, is the good news so important and relevant?

because it is the only way out of this cosmic conundrum.

If we have a message that is relevant to every single person, because they are headed to sure destruction apart from it, what does that say of its importance?

We must know the Gospel’s Effect.

But the gospel would be no gospel, no good news at all, if the message were simply - you are all under God’s wrath and headed for destruction.

No, rather, the good news is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.

And that good news has real power, a real effect.

Romans 5:8–11 KJV 1900

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

What does that say about Christ’s death?

for us

What does it say we are saved from?

wrath

What were we?

Enemies

Yes, the wonderful effect of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ took the wrath that was ours, the death that we deserved, and gave us salvation and life that we could never dream of.

What does that scripture say that we do now?

we joy - we rejoice.

What to Believe

We must believe that the Gospel works.

So, what is our hope? Well, we have already seen so much hope. But where does that hope come right in and penetrate our mind and soul?

We must believe that the Gospel actually does what it says it does. 16 not 15

Romans 1:16 KJV 1900

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Three questions working through that verse backwards.

who is it good news for?

What is it?

What is Paul’s attitude toward it?

Not ashamed, fully convinced that it is true. Not embarrassed by it.

Have you ever seen a business that had some kind of promotional sale going on, and they hire a mascot or a person in a costume to advertise on the street?

Sometimes, they are not very convinced.

Is that how we come across?

We must believe that the Gospel is God’s Work.

We saw it there in Romans 1:16, but here is the very critical part. The Gospel works because it is God’s work.

1 Corinthians 2:1–2 KJV 1900

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

It is not the effectiveness of the messenger that ensures the working of the message. God may use certain individuals in mighty ways at certain times, but it is not to elevate the individual. It is to elevate the message.

1 Corinthians 3:5–7 KJV 1900

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

What does God compare the work of the Gospel to?

a garden

Mark 4, the Kingdom is like a farmer who sows seed and goes to sleep. While he is sleeping, it sprouts.

Human effort does not germinate the seed of the Gospel. God gives us the task of planting and watering, but the mysterious nature of growth is His work.

We cannot force salvation anymore than we can force our plants to come out of the ground.

What this does tell us, though, is every Gospel seed that is planted and sprouts is a work of God, and a miracle of God. Whether that is your child, or your neighbor.

We must believe that the Gospel is our message.

The fact that the Gospel is God’s work does not negate the fact that he calls us to work as well, though.

Later in that same passage in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul says that in preaching the word, they were God’s co-laborers. They were doing the work that God was doing.

1 Corinthians 3:8–9 KJV 1900

Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

Have you ever been a co-laborer with someone who really didn’t pull their weight?

Group project illustration.

What is a motivation that is given for God’s coworkers?

It seems to be a no-lose proposition. All God calls us to do is to be with Him in the work. He does not ask us for results or success, but promises reward simply for laboring with Him.

Matthew 28:18–20 KJV 1900

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

We are called to go, why?

what is the therefore there for?

What to Do

Be Ready.

This is where the rubber meets the road. The Gospel shoes are shoes of preparation, shoes of readiness. The Gospel is to be on the move, so we are to be ready with it.

1 Peter 3:15 KJV 1900

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

What does sanctify mean?

set him apart.

The Lord has a special place in our hearts.

The Lord’s call has a special place in our lives.

Apologia - give an answer, give a defense.

Be Useful.

The end of that verse in 1 Peter tells us to be ready with what?

Meekness - strength under control.

Fear - awe and reverence at the task.

Being useful, then, requires that we have the right attitude and mindset about the work.

We are not called to be flamboyant, rude, ignorant, and belligerent.

Colossians 4:6 KJV 1900

Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Salt is a picture of usefulness, of value. It is no wonder that Jesus told his followers that they are the light of the world, and the salt of the earth.

with grace - grace is charisma, it is the idea of a gift. Is our presence in the lives of unbelievers a gift to them because we represent the Gospel of peace, or is it a curse to them?

What are some ways that we could deter opportunities to speak the truth by our actions?

We, as carriers of the Gospel message, are to be useful and a blessing. After all, who is going to ask us about the hope that we have if we are coarse and terse and constantly perturbed, hoping that nobody bothers us?

Be Encouraged.

Finally, we must be encouraged. This is true because often we don’t get to see the fruit of our labor. Since some plant, and some water, and God gives the growth, often that growth takes place outside of our awareness. Sometimes it takes place in another church, or in another state if the person moves.

And sometimes, it seems that life is so tragic or chaotic that we don’t have many opportunities to give the Gospel.

Philippians 1:12–14 KJV 1900

But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

What did Paul say about the things that happened to Him?

What did Paul’s imprisonment, or bonds, inspire in others?

It may just be that your difficulty, with faithfulness in it, will be an encouragement to others who are not in that difficulty to press on, and to be useful and ready to speak in their freedom.