Ephesians 6:15

-Fashion always seems to vary from person to person, you have many individuals like myself that are ok with what I call every day attire, then you have others who like to spruce it up every once in while, but then you have those who coordinate their fashion to very littlest of details, it may be shoes, watch, or purse that they have coordinated with their outfit, now if you are like me you begin to say really, is that necessary? And to them yes it is.

-We come to a piece of the armor that seems to be unnecessary, but we might find that it is the most important piece- the shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace

-Shoes are important, they are more important to some people, I was walking in the hospital just this week with a nurse supervisor that I know and he was wearing hokas, which is a type of tennis shoe and I commented on it. He said yeah I prefer brooks for comfort, but I like the style of Hokas. it is estimated that between 14 and 19 billion shoes are sold every year, that would give every person on the planet two pairs of shoes each. Now some people buy way too many shoes. Now guys let’s not be too critical this morning. But if you think about shoes are important and it matters what kind of shoes you wear. For instance athletes must wear a certain type of shoe - runners wear a running shoe, football, baseball, soccer wear cleats, guys who are in construction or working with heavy equipment wear steel toed boots, if its raining outside we might wear rubber boots, our shoes matter

-When it comes to the war we are in, the spiritual battle, our shoes matter

-notice that Paul has mentioned this idea of standing, I thought Luke did a great job of highlighting that last week, it is the idea that we stand firm in a ready position

-We are in a war, Paul already mentioned that many are tossed to and fro by every wind of false doctrine, that is what the deceiver does, you can see it with so many false doctrines that are in our culture

-Was just speaking with someone yesterday about a mission opportunity amongst Muslims, would ask you to pray with me about that, but Muslims hold an honor of Jesus they believe some of the things in which we do, that there is one God, they miss the mark in that fact that Jesus in the way to that one God, that there is nothing we can do on our own merit

-Satan attempts to oppose everything that God does, you can see it throughout the book of Acts, you can learn it in early church history through the persecution and deaths of faithful followers of Christ

-Now we must remember that Christ has defeated Satan and if we are in Christ we are victorious, that is why we have the armor of God in which Paul wrote

-We have already examined the first two pieces of the armor:

-belt of truthfulness - as a roman soldier would take his tunic and wrap it up he would tie his belt so that he was prepared and ready for battle, we are to be committed to fight, it is a commitment to the truth

-breastplate of righteousness - the breastplate would protect those vital organs in order to live, the heart, liver, lungs. It is interesting John MacArthur noted that according to Hebrew terminology the heart had to do with the mind, the bowels had to do with the feelings and those are two areas in which Satan attacks, we must protect them How? by righteous living, by being set apart, by pursuing holiness

-interesting that Paul used two different verbs for the armor of God

-put, notice for the first three pieces of armor

-take for the last two

-put on like clothing

Ephesians 4:24 ESV

24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

-this armor is part of my new identity

-Now the shoes, the Roman soldier wore these shoes called calligas - are heavy-soled hobnailed military sandal-boots

-the shoes are important - you have to have a solid base, doesn’t matter equipment you arm yourself with if your base is not solid you will not make it

-our feet are to be readied = prepared, equipped

-given by the gospel of peace - too often this is seen as preaching the gospel, many make correlations to Romans 10:15 - how beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news, but that is not the point of Eph 6, Paul is not saying go preach the good news (even though that is something we are to do and is the point of Rom 10) but here Paul’s point is stand - this is not about evangelism in eph 6 it is about a war with satan

-we stand on the gospel of peace, what does that mean?

We are Victorious through Christ

Ephesians 2:11–19 ESV

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

-4 references of peace, Christ purchased the peace this is why it is gospel of peace

-We stand not on our works, not on any effort of our own, we stand on the blood that was shed on our behalf, we stand on the willingness of Christ to be obedient through His death on the cross, it is the only way we can stand, we stand not only because we are forgiven through His death but because He is victorious over death through His resurrection

1 John 4:4 ESV

4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

-we stand because our foundation is the gospel, there is no other way to stand

We are Empowered through Christ

-we also stand because we are strengthened by the gospel

Acts 4:19 ESV

19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,

Acts 4:31 ESV

31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

-Growing up we were a part of this swimming pool association, you paid a $100 and could swim during the summer time. When I was about in the 4th or 5th grade I was an avid wrestling watcher, not one of my best moments. So my friends and I would usually try out the wrestling moves in the pool, well one particular day my friends were not there but I new some guys who were a couple years older then me and so we began to do the wrestling moves, only problem it was two of them and one of me and it got kind of out of control, I was getting frustrated and the loved bullying the youngin, well this particular pool association had two pools, what these guys didn't know is that my older brothers were in the other pool. When they caught a glimpse of what was happening they and their friends came to my rescue and it was game over.

-It is good to know you have someone on your side, we do not have someone on our side, we are on His side, He has brought us into his fold and He empowers us to fight

-The gospel has placed us in the position to be empowered to fight against temptation

-the power of having our feet ready with the gospel of peace is that we are empowered by God no matter what satan throws at us

-we stand in confidence because of God’s grace, we are united with God, and He has committed to fight for us

We are Ready to Speak the Gospel

Isaiah 52:7 ESV

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

-we are always to be ready to speak the gospel, we stand to proclaim

-This is not to be viewed just that we preach the gospel because others need peace with God, even though that is true, we preach with readiness because the gospel needs to be ever on our minds, if we are not readying ourselves thinking on the gospel than what are we thinking on?

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 ESV

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

No pilgrim is so well booted and buskined as he who is at peace with God, his fellow-men, and his own conscience.)

Charles Spurgeon