Shoes of Readiness

We will be in the sanctuary from now on. No excuse to not invite friends.

We need to change the culture and that means no more phones, snacks, drinks, or going to the restroom during worship and message.

Ephesians 6:10–14 ESV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Last week we talked about the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness and how we are to put on those pieces of armor first. That those two pieces lay the foundation of the armor. That without the belt the rest of the armor will

shift,

fall,

your movement is hindered,

and various other stumbling blocks will come your way

if your belt is not fastened. Because God’s truth keeps you secure in the rest of your walk. We don’t make up our own “truth” but there is only one truth and that is not only found in Jesus’s teachings but is found in the person of Jesus Christ.

That the belt is where your identity lies. That what Jesus has said is not something you get to pick what you like and ignore the rest and it’s not something that can be changed but that you are who He says that you are and that is a child of God. Someone who has been restored and redeemed. The truth will set you free and renew you. Your identity isn’t found in the lies of the enemy but the truth that Jesus is.

We also are supposed to put on the breastplate of righteousness. Not just wear righteousness but ‘PUT IT ON’ because it is Christ’s righteousness, not our own, that we are supposed to clothe ourself with. Because when God looks at us He does not see the broken messed up sinners that we are but He sees his son Jesus because we are covered with His righteousness.

He looks on us with joy and delight as a father looking at His son.

But a soldier standing there fully covered, fully held together, still isn't in the fight yet. He hasn't moved an inch. Today's piece is the one that actually gets him somewhere

Tonight, we are looking at the next piece of armor found in Ephesians 6:15, the shoes of readiness.

Ephesians 6:15 ESV

and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

The shoes, or the sandals, that Roman Soldiers wore where called ‘Caligaes’.

Let's talk about the actual shoes for a second, because once you know what these things really were, this verse hits different.

We're not talking about sandals you'd wear to the beach. Roman soldiers marched in these things up to twenty miles a day — every kind of ground you can imagine.

Mud.

Loose rock.

Roads that had been rained on for a week straight.

Battlefields that were slick with blood after a fight.

Twenty miles, in that, over and over, for years.

So they built the shoe for it.

Three layers of leather stacked and stitched together on the bottom,

and then studded all the way across with iron hobnails —

literal metal spikes driven into the sole.

If you've ever worn cleats on a wet field, that's basically what you're picturing. Except instead of trying to not slip during a soccer game, a Roman soldier is trying to not slip while someone is actively trying to kill him. There was no "recovering" if his feet went out from under him mid-fight. If he went down, he was done.

Here's the detail I want you to sit with though.

Roman soldiers had a nickname given to them by the everyday people who would come across them in their daily life. They were called the caligati — which basically means "the shod ones." Which literally means the one wearing shoes.

Think about that. Out of everything a soldier carried — the sword, the shield, the armor on his chest — the thing that became what a soldier was known for by others, the thing people called him by, was his shoes. You didn't recognize a Roman soldier first by his weapon. You recognized him by what was on his feet.

And here's the part that really matters for us: they didn't just wear these things on the days they knew a fight was coming. They wore them every single day.

Marching to a new camp.

Standing guard on a boring afternoon.

Walking to get water.

It didn't matter if today was a battle day or the most uneventful day of the whole campaign — the boots were on. Readiness wasn't something a soldier turned on right before things got dangerous. It was just what he wore. All the time. Whether he needed it that day or not.

That's the picture Paul hands us in Ephesians 6:15. He's not saying "grab your readiness when you feel a fight coming." He's saying it's supposed to be laced up before you ever leave the house — every day, fight or no fight — because you don't always get a warning before the ground gets slick under you.

This imagery that Paul gives to the Roman armor in Ephesians 6 was not something that he came up with. Rather Paul is pulling a thread that runs through all of the Old Testament, much like the rest of the armor.

Let’s look at Exodus 12:11

Exodus 12:11 NLT

“These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover.

Here we see readiness as obedience.

Readiness as Obedience

At this point in time we see that the Israelites have been enslaved in Egypt by the Egyptians for over 400 years. And after the Israelites have been crying out to God He heard their prayers and their cries and raises up a prophet in the wilderness named Moses, God meets him and raises him up out of sight of the Israelites.

I say all of this to yes give some context but also to remind you that when you’re praying for God to intervene in that place of your life and you think He’s not listening or doing anything about it because you can’t see anything changing, don’t give up and don’t stop praying because God doesn’t just work things out in front of our face but He hears our cries and our prayers and He will send someone to respond to that need in your life even though we won’t always see it right away.

But Moses has told Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, multiple times to let the Israelites leave the land of Egypt but God hardened Pharaohs heart and Pharaoh refused to free the Israelite people so God sent 10 plagues to devastate the land of Egypt and the tenth plague was where we see the passover introduced.

The firstborn of every man and animal would die but the Israelites who would sacrifice a lamb and cover their doorpost with the blood of the lamb God’s judgement and death would passover their home and the Israelites would be safe from the plague.

So as they sat down and ate the passover meal God commanded them to have their belts and sandals on and staffs in hand.

Here's why that mattered: in the ancient world, when you were home and settled — not traveling, not working, just relaxing and eating a meal — you took your sandals off and let your robe hang loose.

Sandals came off at the door.

Belts got loosened. T

hat was normal, comfortable, at-rest posture for a meal.

God tells them to do the opposite. Eat like you're about to walk out the door mid-bite. Belt cinched (so your robe doesn't drag or trip you), sandals already on your feet (not sitting by the door waiting to be put on), staff already in your hand (like you're heading out to travel, not settling in for the evening).

Why the urgency? Because that's exactly what was about to happen.

This was the night of the final plague — the death of the firstborn throughout Egypt — and immediately after, Pharaoh would finally let Israel go. God wasn't giving them a heads-up to plan around later. He was telling them:

freedom is coming tonight, and when it comes, you will not have time to get ready. So get ready now, before you need to be.

That's the posture Paul is borrowing centuries later in Ephesians 6:15. Israel's readiness wasn't nervous fear — it was trust that God was about to act, and obedience that didn't wait until the moment arrived to start moving. The shoes were already on before the command to leave was even given.

They weren't allowed to get comfortable. They ate ready to move the second God said go.

This is readiness as obedience — not being scared, but being so prepared to follow God that you're not caught flat-footed when He says move.

Readiness is not just about being obedient but it is also about the good news

Readiness as Good News

Isaiah 52:5–7 NLT

What is this?” asks the Lord. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is blasphemed all day long. But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.” How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!

Here in Isaiah chapter 52 much like in Exodus the Israelite people again found themselves in exile to Babylon. God’s people are captives in a foreign land and because they are God’s people His name is being mocked among the nations. They were all looking down on the Israelites as if saying “if their God were real or powerful, why are His people slaves?". God’s people are scattered and defeated.

BUT.

Verses 6 and 7 break in with a promise. That a day is coming when God Himself will act and make His presence unmistakably known — and verse 7 paints the moment that announcement arrives.

Here's the picture:

in the ancient world, when an army went out to battle, the city left behind couldn't just check a phone for updates. They had watchmen posted on the walls, staring out at the horizon, waiting to see a runner.

If the battle was lost, no one came, or the news was grim.

But if the battle was won, a messenger was sent running ahead of the army, over the mountains, back to the city — and the watchmen would see him coming from a long way off. Before they could even hear a word he was saying, before they knew any details, the sight of his feet cresting the mountain told them everything: it's over, and we won.

That's the image Isaiah uses. The feet themselves are the good news. They're the first evidence that peace has come, that Zion's God reigns, that the exile everyone assumed was permanent is actually ending.

When you walk the halls of your schools,

when you meet new people,

when your friends see you coming,

when you walk in the door of your home and classroom

those people need to hear the good news you have.

Tell them that there is a war that has been going on,

Tell them that all those who are in exile and bondage from the enemy that the war is now over.

The war is won and you are coming to proclaim the victory and all people can live in the freedom, the hope, and the peace that is in Christ Jesus.

The shoes to you may be about taking the good news somewhere and to someone but to anyone who is not a follower of Christ the shoes are about peace arriving into their life.

When people see you coming they should know the good news you bring. They should know before you get the chance to speak.

They should see it in the way that you show love to others,

They should see it in the way that you take the high road and lead by example

They should see it through the way that you talk differently than everyone else

They should see it through the joy that you have in your eyes, your walk, your heart and in your life. A joy that can only come from the Lord Himself

This good news that you bring isn’t just something you tell those who ask but to all.

What do we see in others when they have good news?

How do you act when you made the team?

How do you act when you got that good grade?

How do you act when you achieved this big thing or something amazing has happened to you?

That news sits at the front of your mind and at the tip of your tongue waiting to tell anyone willing to listen because something phenomenal has happened to you and it has overwhelmed to the point that you can’t just hold it in.

That’s what the good news of Jesus Christ should do in you.

It should be visible, announced, and it should be your MISSION to tell everybody about somebody who can save anybody.

Readiness is a Mission

Romans 10:13–15 NLT

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

You are the foot soldiers of Christ Jesus.

If you know the things that God has done in your life, if you know the things He has delivered you from how can you stand by and watch as the people of this world live in such brokenness?

You know the one who can make them whole,

you know how they can receive joy and hope.

You know that they have value and that the world doesn’t see it

but there is someone who does and He wants to have a relationship with them and there is a family that will welcome them and love them.

You are the messengers and you have a mission. You have been sent. You have been commanded in Matthew 28:19

Matthew 28:19–20 NLT

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

He is with you.

Living inside of you.

Empowering you.

Giving you all that you need to do what He has called you to do.

Giving you the strength to do what you couldn’t on your own.

Giving you boldness to stand up, share the truth, regardless of the toll it might take on your social status because it is not about how the world viewing you as different and because of that it “makes you weird”, but because you know the world is full of lies and you want to see the people of the world made new by the same power that by which you were made new.

So yes. The shoes are about readiness. Readiness to…

Obey

Share the Good News

Live on a mission for Jesus

The shoes are built for daily, obedient movement, for being ready whenever God says go, and built to carry someone somewhere that matters.

Feet that deliver peace to people who need it.

That's the "readiness given by the gospel of peace" — not hype, not working up courage, just already being equipped and already moving.