Shoes of Peace

Intro

I love shoes. One of my friends even referred to me as a sneaker head once!

Now, with my love of shoes comes… well a budget. Only twice have I bought a really nice pair of shoes for retail. I love Ross and the Nike Clearance Outlet!

With a size 15 shoe, it is not easy to find shoes, so when I find a pair I like, I tend to either wear them out, or buy that same shoe over and over and over.

Before my foot started giving me issues, my shoe of choice were high top air jordans… man I loved those shoes.

I even got married in a pair!

However “cool” I think my collection may be, I have found myself in recent times needing a more … functional shoe. A good Asic or pair of Brooks have been my go to now for months!

Why? Because as cool as my shoes may be to me, they are not as functional as the shoes I need.

Today, as we continue talking about our armor set, we have come to an all important piece! The footwear.

Paul encourages us in Ephesians 6:10-15 to cover our feet with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace!

Ephesians 6:10–15 KJV 1900

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Peace Allows Us to Move

Before we get into the concepts of the preparation of peace, we have to understand why Paul used peace, or the Gospel of Peace to define our footwear.

One part of it is that we use our feet to carry the gospel to lost people, this is something we will discuss.

But also, peace must be our footwear because the peace of Jesus Christ is what allows us to move!

What do I mean by that?

The technology of footwear has grown a ton over the last century. What was once nothing, to wooden sandals, to leather, to the closed toe, to the shoes we wear today, footwear design has progressed.

We know the value of being able to move well, so we make, and we wear good shoes.

I got my pair of Brooks before my vacation to Gatlinburg in April because I knew that I would need to be able to move with as little pain as possible for as long as possible. My good shoes made that possible!

We move in life, and often, we move with the wrong footwear. We move with the shoes of fear, the feet of anxiety, the steps of worry. This is not the movement to which we are called. This is not freedom!

Have you ever gotten a new pair of shoes and before breaking them in, you decide to wear them all day? To beat it all, the socks you wore were too short so the heel of the shoe rubbed your foot until it bled? I have… and let me tell you, that hurt…

When we move with the wrong footwear, we can expect pain, we can expect disappointment, we can expect pain!

However, can you remember a time where you knew you had a long day, you opened your closet, adn you grabbed those shoes that are worn in, the tried and true pair, the pair that has gotten you this far and have been faithful, so you pick them up and… oh they fit good, they allow you to be your best self, to move freely.

This is walking in the peace of God. His is the peace which allows us to move freely through life.

And, as we move, we must remember … these are Jesus’ shoes!

These are Jesus’ Shoes!

What do I mean by that?

I don’t mean that Jesus wore Nikes, I mean that the peace that we move with is given to us by Jesus Himself.

It is His peace, it is His gospel, it is His salvation that frees us from the prison of sin, and we need to remember that.

Peace will come from Christ and only Christ, and it is for our benefit, and for His glory.

Back when Michael Jordan was first coming onto the scene, he and his mother had meetings with multiple shoe manufacturers about making Jordan shoes, striking a deal.

The wildest part of Michael’s shoe journey is the deal that his mother struck which have Michael a direct percentage of each shoe sell … in other words, he benefitted greatly from selling shoes.

This is vastly different from the biblical narrative of Christ. Christ came, offered us peace and salvation, and it was all for our benefit and His glory.

Jesus didn’t ask for nor receive a portion of each soul saved, rather, He took the severest punishment on the cross so that you and I can have salvation and peace.

So that you and I can cover our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, so that we can move freely, and so that we can herald the gospel well!

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Herald the Gospel

In order to herald the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of peace, we must first have the peace of God reigning in our hearts. We must have the gospel of peace within us, having accepted it, and we must have made it a fixture in our lives.

We must, then, herald the gospel of peace to a lost world.

This is the primary interpretation of this armor peace, to prepare your feet to take the gospel wherever it needs to go, and church, it needs to go everywhere.

Isaiah 52:7 “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!”

How beautiful are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings.

Romans 10:15 repeats this

Romans 10:15 “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

It is a beautiful thing to herald, to share, to shout the gospel of peace to a world with none.

Our world has been peaceless for generation after generation; therefore, it is our responsibility to prepare our feet, and go take the gospel to those who need it, to take the peace of Jesus to them.

But, how do we prepare?

How Do We Prepare

Just as we have been learning, we take up all of the armor of God, that is to take up Jesus Christ as your one and only, to love Him entirely, to worship Him solely, to devote your life and choices to Him distinctly.

In order to do this, you must first be born again.

You must realize your spiritual depravity, you must realize your need for God and your need for change. You must believe that your God came to this earth to be the sacrifice for your sin. You must believe that He died on the cross and rose again to be that sacrifice. You must believe that sacrifice was enough. You must choose to repent, to leave your sin in the past and follow Jesus with your life.

You must prepare to share the gospel of peace by living the gospel of peace.

You must prepare by being a child of God.

You must prepare by daily making the intentional decision to take up your armor and follow Jesus.

This is how we prepare.

How, Then, Do We Herald The Gospel

How, then, do we herald the gospel?

Simply with boldness!

In our culture, it can feel impossible to share such a counter-cultural gospel. And, as each generation passes, it becomes more and more counter-cultural because the culture is moving so far from God.

However, listen to Matthew 28:16-20

Matthew 28:16–20 KJV 1900

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 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.

The world was pagan then, it is pagan now. Jesus called us to go. No excuses.

But, he leaves us with a beautiful promise. Did you catch it?

Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. amen.

So, how do we herald the gospel? We boldly go, with the armor of Jesus Christ, with our feet being prepared by our acceptance of the gospel of peace, and trusting that He is with us always.

He will guide our words. He will guide our actions. We must trust Him.

Peace must be yours. It must come from Jesus. And you must use it to share the gospel of peace with a lost world. This is how we put on the preparation of the gospel of peace.

SONG

Conclusion

I love shoes. I think they are a great way to express yourself in a fun and innocent way.

However, shoes must have purpose. They must be functional. The older I get, the less likely you will be to see me in anything but a shoe that has good support and function.

We must have tactical shoes on, ready to overcome the snares and traps of the devil. We must be ready to bob and weave his devices. We must have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

We must be ready, at all times, to put on the peace Jesus give us, and boldly share it before a lost world, dying and going to hell.

This morning, ask yourself. Are you wearing the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace? Are you walking with God’s peace and using that peace to herald the gospel that saved your life?

If not, I invite you to pray!

*salvation plea*