What to Wear to the Battle: The Gospel Shoes of Peace

Text: Ephesians 6:10-18; Romans 8:35-39

Focal Passage: Ephesians 6:15 "and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; " NASB95

Date: 09/20/2020 Title: Armor04.wpd Sermon ID:

Theme: The shoes of Gospel Peace provide the believer a firm foundation that makes us ready for anything the world, the flesh, and especially the devil may throw at us.

I’ve been preaching a series of messages on the spiritual armor of Ephesians, chapter six. This morning we come to the third piece of armor Paul mentions.

In the Christian’s warfare, the Apostle encourages us to have our feet shod with the readiness of the gospel of peace. The idea the Apostle seeks to communicate is that our lives are to be readied and steadied—kept from fear—by means of the good news of peace. The good news is that we are at peace with God, and if God be for us, who can be against us? Why are we at peace with God? Because of the good news that Christ died for our sins.

Because we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, we can look the Devil square in the face and go “booga, booga, booga!” Just as the Roman soldier’s hob-nailed boots allowed him to grip the ground firmly when in battle, so the good news of peace keeps us upright and grounded.

Some historians have actually credited the legionnaire’s footwear as one of the significant reasons why the Roman Army was so regularly victorious. Contemporary sources of the day write that one important reason for Julius Caesar’s success as a general was the fact that his men wore military shoes that made it possible for them to cover long distances in such a short period of time that his enemies were caught off guard again and again, having believed that they had plenty of time to prepare an adequate defense.

The Roman soldier was equipped with a boot-like sandal that had hob-nails driven into thick leather soles which provided them a strong platform and stability on almost any kind of ground. They had assurance that no matter what kind of terrain they fought on, legionaries could not be pushed back by the enemy. They could “dig in” and hold their ground. This verse does not speak of the spreading of the gospel, therefore, but refers to a believer’s spiritual surefootedness that comes from one’s acceptance of the gospel, and which gives him peace so he can stand in the battle.

Let’s think about the third piece of spiritual armor that the Apostle lists.

I. THE SHOES OF GOSPEL PEACE PROVIDE A FIRM FOUNDATION

1. like the belt of truth this piece of armor seems superfluous compared to the others

a. shouldn’t a Roman soldier be more concerned with sword and shield and breastplate rather than footware?

b. the Apostle Paul obviously includes this piece of equipment intentionally

2. if we walk on to the battlefield without any of these elements of armor, we risk penetrating blows from the enemy

a. shoes are no exception

ILLUS. Boots and foot care are so important to the U.S. Army that their field manual has eleven pages on fitting boots and taking care of feet.

ILLUS. When I was active in the Boy Scouts, I spent two summers hiking at Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico. It’s a 140,000 acre ranch in the rugged Sangre de Cristo mountains. When I got the equipment list of what each Scout needed to bring, first on the list was hiking boots. Following in parentheses, and in all caps was the statement (DON’T SKIMP ON YOUR BOOTS)! The #1 reason Scouts dropped out of the three-week hike was boot-failure.

3. the Apostle would remind us that spiritual combat boots are an important part of our Christian armor

a. they give the Christian a firm foundation from which to fight the battle

A. THE GOSPEL OF PEACE GIVES US PEACE WITH GOD

1. the emphasis in vs. 15 is not the gospel itself but on readiness

a. the English Standard Version translation of this verse, though awkward, helps us understand what the Apostle is saying

“and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (Ephesians 6:15, NIV84)

b. we are to put on readiness that is illustrated by putting on combat boots

1) this readiness comes with the assurance of the gospel that gives us peace with God

2) like truth and righteousness of vs. 14, readiness is a characteristic of a soldier of the Lord

c. readiness for what, you may ask? —readiness for the enemy’s attacks

1) the world, the flesh and the devil should never take us by surprise

2. here is what the apostle is essentially saying in vs. 15 ... you cannot prepare for spiritual warfare against the Devil if you first don’t have spiritual peace with God

a. if you’ve been born again, born from above, saved then you have eternal life, and abundant life and those give you peace with God

b. peace with God means you have the most powerful ally in the universe

“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.” (1 John 4:4, ESV)

3. the spiritual power the believer has available through the indwelling Holy Spirit is nothing short of phenomenal

ILLUS. In the animated Disney film Aladdin, there is the scene where Genie is explaining to Aladdin the pros and cons of being a Genie. He has “phenomenal cosmic power” in “an insey-winsey living space”. God the Spirit is the phenomenal cosmic power, who resides in us ... the insey-winsey living space.

a. the Apostle Paul says it like this ...

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:4–7, ESV)

4. The Shoes of Gospel Peace Provide a Firm Foundation ... that Foundation Is Life In Christ

II. THE SHOES OF GOSPEL PEACE MAKE US READY FOR ANYTHING

1. the key-theme in this passage is found in vs. 14—stand therefore

a. the Christian must stand firm so we can withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm

1) Christians are in a war against cosmic forces of evil in heavenly places

2) if we are not fully armored against these powers we will regularly experience spiritual defeat

3) there must be a readiness in our lives—inwardly and outwardly—for spiritual warfare

ILLUS. Many of you are familiar with the term DEFCON. It stands for Defense Readiness Condition, and is the alert state used by the United States Armed Forces since 1966. There are fives levels of readiness:

DEFCON 1 is Normal readiness (the lowest state of readiness)

DEFCON 2 is Above normal readiness

DEFCON 3 is Air Force ready to mobilize in 15 minutes

DEFCON 4 is Armed forces ready to deploy and engage in less than six hours

DEFCON 5 is Maximum readiness. Immediate response (war is imminent or has already started). The code name for DEFCON 5 is Cocked Pistol.

b. as Christians, the challenge is knowing when we can remain at Spiritual DEFCON 1 or to move all the way to Spiritual DEFCON 5

1) what spiritual state of readiness do we need to live in?

2) the answer to that question is, of course, what is going on in your life right now?

ILLUS. History tells us life in the military is not a life of constant battle. Whether it was the Roman Legionnaire of the 1st century or the Army Grunt of the 21st century military life is often routine, and mundane. It includes lots of training time, marksmanship practice, and routine chores and assignments. This is life at DEFCON 1 ... normal readiness. You know what all the training is eventually for, and you hope you’ll never have to put it to use. But then word comes; you’re being deployed. Your level of readiness tics up a notch or two. Finally, you’re in the field, and you are aware that the enemy is out there, and sooner or later, must be engaged.

c. this is a description of the Christian’s warfare

1) the vast majority of the time we are at Spiritual DEFCON 1 or 2

a) we go about our normal life, often routine and mundane—going to work, doing normal chores and assignments

b) minor temptations and spiritual obstacles come our way that we learned how to deal with years ago

2) then a major decision presents itself ... it might be a family emergency, a career change ... a relationship challenge ... or a lifestyle change ... maybe a pandemic

a) your Spiritual DEFCON tics up a point or two because you know that changes in life make us vulnerable to the devil’s schemes

b) he’ll attempt to convince you that things that are true aren’t and things that aren’t true are

3) then there will be those moments of intense battle when the Evil One throws everything he has against you, and you find yourself at Spiritual DEFCON 5—spiritual war in imminent or has begun

a) the world and the flesh are his allies, attacking from without and within

ILLUS. This is Joseph being seduced by Potifer’s wife. It’s Daniel either bowing down to the King’s statue and living or refusing to do so and being torn apart in the lion’s den. It’s Peter and John obeying the Jewish authorities and keeping mum about Jesus, or disobeying and boldly proclaiming the Gospel.

2. from your new birth until your death, life is a war

a. your soul, your mind, your body, your family, your career, your community are fields of conflict

b. until Satan is finally thrown into the lake of fire, our peace with God will have to be a vigilant peace

A. OUR READINESS MUST BE BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL

1. internal readiness comes through a knowledge of the Scriptures

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2, KJV)

a. a knowledge of, and obedience to the Scriptures changes us inwardly

b. the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:22-24 that Christians must change—but the change he advocates is not just any change

1) he qualifies the change by stating, "Put off ... the old man ... and ... put on the new man."

2) the change he commands is a complete change of heart, a change from corruption toward inward purity

c. this change is so severe that it is as if we have been totally renewed or become a completely new person

1) we are to have new attitudes, new desires, new habits, and new behaviors

2) the apostle further clarifies for us that the goal of this radical change is to be modeled after God's righteous and holy character

3) it is a transformation that is a fundamental part of God's purpose: creating sons and daughters in His image

2. external readiness comes through a practice of the Scriptures

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22, NIV)

a. this can fall into one of four categories: Start, Do More, Stop, Do Less

1) we can start doing something that we should already be doing, say, tithing or serving

2) we can do more of something that we are already doing but currently not doing enough of, for instance, Bible study or prayer

3) we can stop doing something that we currently do but should not be doing at all, for example, gossiping or stealing office supplies

4) we can do less of something that we are already doing and that is fine to do but not if done in excess like spending so much time of social media

3. internal readiness allows us to stand our ground; external readiness allows us to move forward in the outward expression of the Christian life

4. The Shoes of Gospel Peace Make Us Ready for Anything

III. APPLICATION OF THE SHOES OF GOSPEL PEACE

A. WE ARE TO WALK IN THESE SHOES A GREAT DISTANCE

1. Roman soldiers would march for dozens of miles during any given stretch, and their shoes would not only have to conquer rough terrain, but do as little damage to their feet as possible

a. in their 25-year enlistment a legionnaire might walk thousands of miles

ILLUS. In the past I’ve worked at jobs that had me on my feet and walking several miles a day. Some of you are in such positions now. It makes you realize how much footwear matters. If you develop welts or blisters on your feet, your focus will be derailed as you can only think about how much your feet hurt.

2. our spiritual combat boots do the same

a. we walk, comforted by our Prince of Peace (Isaiah 40:1)

b. his yoke is easy, and burden is light, compared with the footwear the world has to offer

3. the Christian journey is long and hard, but God gives us these shoes to help us go great distances in our walk

a. they give us the confidence to be ready for whatever the world, the flesh or the Devil me throw at us

B. WE ARE TO RESIST WITH CONFIDENCE

1. the hobnails on a legionnaire’s boots were like cleats on an athletic shoe ... they allowed the soldier to stand his ground and lean into an attacking force

2. what does the Bible tells us about the believer’s response to the devil?

a. yeah ... resist him ... that is hold your ground against him ... because when you do, he will flee

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8–9, NIV84)

C. WE ARE TO ADVANCE WITHOUT HESITATION

1. fear and uncertainty and anxiety can threaten to stop any Christian from practicing the faith, and trusting the Savior

ILLUS. Like Peter, if we begin to watch the waves and listen to the wind, we will take our eyes off of Jesus and begin to sink!

2. if we love the world too much we succumb to darkness we can get tripped up if our feet are not shod every day with the shoes of readiness that comes from walking in the gospel of peace

a. we’ll hesitate or worry, and we won’t be effective soldiers

3. but with the readiness of these gospel of peace shoes, we don’t have to fear debris on the battlefield, and we can advance through the rough terrain of life

D. WE ARE TO WALK TOGETHER

ILLUS. Like David’s “mighty men,” warriors are raised up to battle and hold ground in the spiritual realm. David’s men were identified by their specific strengths and callings as much as their names: the incredible swordplay of Josheb-basshebeth who killed 800 men at one time; the amazing courage of Eleazar who, after everyone else retreated, stayed and fought the enemy alone and won against the odds; Shammah, who defended a piece of ground alone and unaided against an entire troop of Philistines; Abishai, who couldn’t be overcome by 300 men and won an amazing battle with just a spear; Benaiah killed two mighty heroes of Kabzeel then went on to kill a lion! God raised up these mighty men to help fight alongside David, and God has raised you up to fight alongside your fellow believers.

1. Roman troops advanced in formation

a. not only does this intimidate the enemy, but a Roman Legion could plow right through any threats

2. in the same way, the Church must walk together, fitted with the good news of peace

a. in this world we are the Church Militant!

ILLUS Jesus told his disciples that he would build his church and that the gates of hell would not stand up against it. Do you hear what Jesus is saying there? It’s not the Church that’s on the defensive. It’s hell itself that’s on the defensive. Gates are a defensive structure. Gates are parts of walls. In the New Testament picture, hell is under siege. Hell is surrounded, and it’s surrounded by the Body of Christ!

The plan of the enemy is to create and disperse misery, take away hope, and maintain a climate of despair and helplessness. We overcome evil with good! Through Christ’s love, joy, and peace flowing through us, we “fight the good fight” and we resist the devil’s attempts to sabotage their victory in Christ! We can bless every person we come in contact with!