Armor of God: Shoes of Peace

Intro:

When I was young I use to wear shoes that were endorsed by Michael Jordan. (Air Jordans)

Then one day I was sitting home watching TV and a commercial came on for Skechers.

I am a big fan of these shoes. (Especially the slip on’s)

I have about 7 pairs of these shoes. (Love them)

I have come to realize that I am old.

Not because old people wear these shoes …..

But because they are endorsed by Martha Stewart.

I never realized how important shoes were until I was married.

I thought there was only three pairs of shoes everyone should own:

Tennis shoes (These covered playing sports, running, ect)

Casual shoes (You wear with jeans or Khaki’s)

Dress shoes (You wear with suits)

Cowboy boots (Optional)

As I am getting older I have come to learn and appreciate the different shoes and their effectiveness.

You don’t want to run a long distance in dress shoes.

They provide comfort in one is standing for a long period of time.

Working on concrete you want a good pair of boots.

Here is a list of a few different types of shoes:

Sneakers

Cowboy Boots

Loafers

Sandals

Running Shoes

Hiking & Trekking Shoes

Flip Flops

Pumps

Platform Shoes

Snow Boots

Work Boots

Shoes are very significant and vital to ones effectiveness.

You are not going to be a very effective runner in Cowboy boots.

You are not going to be a very effective soldier wearing pumps.

You are not going to be a very effective basketball player wearing flip flops.

So when Paul writes to the church in Ephesus emphasizing the significance of the Armor of God (specifically the shoes) he is revealing to the church its effectiveness.

Let’s continue to take a look at the armor of God; specifically the Shoes.

Body:

Ephesians 6:14–20 “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Re-read the underline verse

What is interesting about this verse is the fact that it doesn’t mention any military hardware.

Remember he starts this pericope with “the belt” and then “the breastplate.”

The belt of truth …. all of the soldiers armor is connected to this belt

The Breastplate of Righteousness….. righteousness is the state of him who is such as he ought to be

It is correctness in thinking, feeling, and acting.

This is what protects our Heart. This is the breastplate ….

SO ….

I want to make it clear that in some tranlations the the word “Shoes” is not found.

As a matter of fact the specific word (Shoes) is not in the Greek.

Calm down …. This doesn’t mean the scholars translated this incorrectly.

The Greek reads …. “And, having put on as for your feet”

The phrase “Having put on” is the Greek word (Hypodeo). [Hippo-day-o]

This word means to bind under ones self, put on ones own feet.

This is what those of the First century would call shoes or boots.

Translators, when they insert the word “shoes” they are making this clear for the reader.

The NIV translates it “feet fitted with the readiness”

So this could read “and just like shoes that are fitted with the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”

Remember, when Paul is writing this letter he has a Roman soldier in mind.

Let’s look at these “so called” boots that a roman soldier would wear.

These shoes were called “Caliga”

They are made up of two parts:

The Shoe itself

The Shin Guard called the greave.

The Shoe - this part was made up of thick leather that was tightly bound around his feet.

A soldier couldn’t have loose-fitting shoes because they would impair his ability to move quickly and advance in battle. (Tight and Right)

2. The Greave - This part began at the top of the knee and extended down past the lower leg, all the way to the upper portion of the foot.

It was made of solid bronze or brass

It protected the soldiers legs from being bruised, lacerated, or broken in battle.

As one can imagine ….

a bruised leg meant the soldier would be impaired in his fighting and in his ability to swiftly respond to an attack

likewise, a lacerated leg from the thorns meant he could potentially lose large amount of blood and become too week to fight.

also, they protected the soldier from being kicked in the shins and having his leg broken by the enemy.

When Paul writes, Ephesians 6:15 “and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”

This is the picture the church of Ephesus would have in their mind.

The second half of this verse we read, “put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”

The Greek word for Readiness is (Etoimasia) ETY-MA-SEEA

This word carries the idea of “readiness for movement.”

Those in that day could picture a Roman soldier who had their shoes tied (Tight and Right) hence having a FIRM FOUNDATION.

They were ready to march out onto the battlefield and confront the enemy.

With all this in mind ……

…. a soldier for the Lord, as they put on their shoes, having them tight and right is tightly wrapping the Peace of God around their minds and emotions equipping themselves with the ability to move quickly and they are ready for action.

…. Peace give us a foundation so secure that we can step out in confident faith without being moved by what we see or what we hear.

You want to know why we find ourselves being tossed around like a little rag doll?

It might be because we are lacking Peace in our lives.

Peace comes from Faith!

If you find yourself lacking peace it might be because you are questioning your faith today.

This doubt is rising up in you because of your lack of faith.

You might be saying, “I have no peace in my life.”

I completely understand!

There are times in my life I look around and say, “I need peace!”

So this brings us to the word “PEACE”

The Greek word we find for the word “Peace” is Eirene.

This word is defined as “the cessation of war.” - A war being brought to an end.

It describes a “Calm, inner stability that results in the ability to conduct oneself peacefully even in the midst of circumstances that would normally be traumatic or upsetting.

This Greek word EIRENE is the equivalent for the Hebrew word SHALOM.

It expresses the idea of wholeness, completeness or tranquility in the soul that is unaffected by outward circumstances or pressures.

Church, God’s plan is that this prevailing and conquering PEACE will dominate your life.

regardless of how hard the enemy or the daily affairs of life hit you, this prevailing and conquering peace will hold you in place! AMEN!

Before we wrap up this part of the “Armor of God” and move on we need to understand that there is 2 different kinds of peace.

In the scriptures there is actually 2 different kinds of peace:

There is PEACE WITH GOD

There is The PEACE OF GOD

PEACE WITH GOD!

This peace is what a person experiences when they first come to the LORD!

Salvation - Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This peace comes into being, the moment a person gets saved and the barriers between that person and God dissolves and his or her alienated mind comes into harmony with God.

You might say that Peace with God is a spiritual condition that belongs to all believers.

Example: Do you remember when you accepted Christ and was saved?

I remember one of my old friends stopped me in the street and said “they noticed a difference in me! I seem to have found peace.”

I told them, “Yea, I have been diagnosed as a PEACE-A-HOLIC?”

This PEACE WITH GOD is noticeable, tangible, and its something you can encounter.

The second peace is ….

2. THE PEACE OF GOD

Christians are at peace WITH God by virtue of salvation, but there are some who are not walking in THE PEACE OF GOD.

The idea of “the peace of God” is a prevailing, conquering peace that surpasses natural understanding.

Instead of being dominated by this protective peace of God, these individuals walk in constant fretfulness, anxiety, worry, and all kinds of other turmoil.

When we walk in THE PEACE OF GOD, the enemy’s assaults LOSE their power to harm you.

It’s as if you are in a divine bubble that protects you from everything that is happening around you.

Conclusion:

This verse does not speak of the spreading of the gospel, for Christians are pictured in vv. 10–16 as standing, not advancing. Instead this refers to a believer’s stability or surefootedness from the gospel which gives him peace so he can stand in the battle.

Believers must prepare for war by living lives of Peace.

I had a situation arise at a church I pastored a few years ago.

There was some strife and hostility rising up in the church.

I has gentleman call me up and say, “I going to get some baseball bats and get some of the people of the church to go with me to a certain persons house and intimidate them.”

This was not PEACE WITH GOD nor was it THE PEACE OF GOD.

What I explained to the person was this is not how we fight the good fight.

This is not how we engage in warfare with the enemy

Remember Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

What were we going to do? Make sure our “Armor of God” was Tight and Right and we were going to STAND!

With our belt of truth tightly fastened, the breastplate of righteousness covering our hearts and the shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace.

With the PEACE OF GOD operating in your life, we have a conquering force that is so strong and effective, all the chaos we formerly experienced will be replaced with a peace that prevails in every area of our lives.

Believers must prepared for the attacks of the enemy.

How do we live in a posture or readiness?

By living lives of Peace.

Please stand with me ….

My declaration: repeat after me …..

I confess that God’s peace rules my mind and emotions, protecting me from the ups and downs of life. When storms are trying to rage against me and situations are hostile toward me, God’s peace covers and safeguards me from all harm. Because divine peace is operating in me, I am not easily moved, quickly shaken, or terrified by any events that occur around about me. This mighty and powerful piece of spiritual weaponry is mine to use day and night. Therefore, although the devil may try to kick, punch, pull, and distract me, that conquering peace empowers me to keep marching ahead, oblivious to the devil’s attempts to take me down!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Prayer:

Lord, I thank You for the peace You have placed in my life. This powerful spiritual weapon protects me from the assaults of life, enabling me to stand fixed, even in the face of the occasional storms that try to blow into my life, my family, my church, and my friendships. How can I ever express how much I need this peace or how grateful I am to You for covering me with this protective shield that fortifies me and makes me strong? When adverse situations arise against me, help me remember to immediately release this divine force to safeguard my life.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!