The Whole Armor of God: The Gospel Shoes
Name of Assembly: United Apostolic Church
Type of service: Bible Study
Date: March 16, 2021 Series
Topic: The Whole Armor of God
Lesson 3: The Gospel Shoes
Scripture Text: Ephesians 6:10-18
10 “And Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 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. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”– Ephesians 6:10-18
INTRODUCTION
The third piece of armor Paul mentions in Ephesians 6 is the shoes of "the preparation of the gospel of peace." What purpose did shoes serve for a Roman soldier? What purpose do these spiritual shoes serve for us? In this lesson, we will learn why our spiritual shoes matter and why we need to make sure we are equipped with them before we get onto the battlefield.
The brethren gathered around, desperately trying to convince Paul to abandon his plans to travel to Jerusalem. They had heard the prophecies about the fate that awaited him on this journey— Paul himself said that he did not know what to expect, " Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me." (Acts 20:23). Paul's brethren and fellow workers could not bear the thought of their friend willingly walking into this and begged him to reconsider.
But Jesus Christ had summoned Paul to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22) and Paul was intent on answering that call. Knowing that the upcoming trip could very well mean the end of his life, he says to his would-be dissuaders, "What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 21:13).
Paul did not just write about the armor of God; he also wore it. He was able to call upon the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace. He found protection and strength in the knowledge of what God's gospel meant for him and for the others he shared that good news with. His footing was sure and unshakable, and he was prepared to carry the gospel wherever God sent him.
Brief Word Study
“And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” – Ephesians 6:15
To “Shod” means to bind under one’s feet, to be in bonds, to tie, to wind, to knit or be at one with. It also has to do with your walk, or how you walk out your life from day-to-day.
“Preparation” means having a firm foundation or solid knowledge of something. In this case, preparation is knowing the Prince of Peace and His Word.
The word “Gospel” means glad tidings or good news of the kingdom of God. The word Peace is more than a feeling of calm or being free of conflict. The Greek word for Peace is Shalom which means a state of complete peace. Shalom speaks to completeness, wholeness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord.
WHAT PURPOSE DOES THE SHOES SERVE ?
Let us explore the footwear analogy. When going to work, play, exercise or relax we usually put something on our feet that is appropriate. Each type of shoe provides a unique combination of benefits for the activity we are intending to do.
Specifically, footwear provides:
⇨ Protection ⇨ Performance ⇨ Support ⇨ Comfort ⇨Traction
Footwear also bolsters our stamina to perform the activity we are going to do. For example, if you are going running on a hot day, you are likely to last only a few minutes on the hot asphalt without shoes. However, with shoes on, you can run on that asphalt much longer!
A shoeless soldier will run into real trouble while on the battlefield. Unless he is fighting on artificial grass, he is going to encounter debris that will be harmful to his feet. It may be nothing more than pebbles, but to a bare foot that can cause serious pain—and one of the last things you want to deal with in the middle of a fight is to be worrying about where to place your feet. In short, shoes allow us to step freely and without fear while we give our full attention to the battle at hand.
For want of a nail
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL OF PEACE?
⇨ Matthew 4:23, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”
⇨ Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
⇨ Mark 1:14, “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.”
⇨ Acts 20:24, “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
⇨ 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!"
The gospel of the Kingdom, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of the Kingdom of God, the gospel of the grace of God, and the gospel of peace are some of descriptions attached to the word gospel throughout the New Testament.
The Greek word translated gospel is “euaggelion” which means "good news." The good news of the gospel of the Kingdom. This includes the good news about Jesus Christ the King, His grace (undeserved favor) and His plan of salvation for all mankind. This plan gives us peace now and will bring peace to all those who will believe in Him! This is the message we eagerly share with others.
WHAT DOES THE GOSPEL OF PEACE HAVE TO DO WITH SHOES?
In Romans 10:14-15 we read, “14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 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!” God's Church is commissioned to announce the God News of God's Kingdom. Having our shoes on, we are ready to move, to spread these glad tidings to others.
In the apostle Paul's day, he walked countless miles in delivering the good news. Today, transportation and communication have changed, and this makes sharing this great message much easier.
Despite all human attempts at peace, it is clear from the daily news reports that this world does not know the road to peace. Romans 3:17 tells us, “And the way of peace have they not known.” We are called to be the examples to our world, but we can only do this by following Christ's steps. 1 John 2:6, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”
HOW DO THESE SPIRITUAL SHOES HELP US STAND FIRM?
The sandals of the Roman soldier were fitted with nails, or armed with spikes, to provide traction while in battle. God's good news and our mission—our marching orders—to preach it serve as our firm foundation.
When we truly allow ourselves to take comfort in the good news promised by God, there is nothing from outside ourselves that can trouble our hearts or give us any reason to be afraid. Christ has overcome the world. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” - John 16:33, and so we have nothing to fear from it.
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” - Luke 10:19-20.
Just as shoes allow us to walk on otherwise painful terrain without fear, so the preparation of the gospel of peace allows us to traverse the otherwise painful trials and tribulations of life without fear, knowing that what awaits is greater than anything we could possibly suffer in this world.
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” - Romans 8:18.
“35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” – Romans 8:35-39.
CONCLUSION
The “Gospel shoes” that we are commanded to wear is both defensive and offensive.
To stand and fight in this war we must have confidence of our position in Christ. We must stand firm in the truth of God’s Word, regardless of how terrifying the circumstances may be. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us” - 1 John 5:14.
We must remember that our position in Christ is not based on our own innate abilities or worthiness. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” - Titus 3:5.We must know that the certainty of God’s sustaining power that is available to us. “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” - 2 Timothy 1:12.
We must understand grace without abusing it. “1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” - Romans 6:1–6.
When Satan attacks with a flaming missile of doubt, such as “If God really loved you, He wouldn’t have let this happen,” we must dig our peace shoes into the turf of God’s Word and reply, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). When Satan stabs from behind with “Remember what you did?” we dig in more deeply and reply, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9.
In addition to standing our ground, the shoes are also used for safely moving around. God expects us to go on the offensive and take the gospel of peace to others. First Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” Sharing our faith is one of the best ways to maintain our own sure footing. God knows that, when we are active in speaking of Him to others, we not only charge into Satan’s territory, but we dig our shoes more deeply into truth and will be much harder to dislodge. When we have “studied to show ourselves approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15), we are ready to stand firm in the gospel of peace no matter what the enemy brings against us.
Without the right shoes, the soldier’s feet are prone to blisters, cuts, and other problems which puts him at a disadvantage in battle. Without his shoes, he was not ready to fight. As soldiers of the Jesus Christ, we must give attention to the admonition found in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.”