Real Christians Keep Their Boots On

Real Christians Keep Their Boots On

Sunday Morning, 01-30-11

Text Ephesians 6:10-17

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Eph 6:12 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.

Eph 6:13 Wherefore 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.

Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Introduction:

I want to relate something to you I consider remarkable and that is I had a dream last week. What is remarkable is that I can probably count on one hand how many dreams I have had...and remembered them. Now the experts say we all have dreams and who am I to disagree. Some people can recount every detail of the dreams they have and can do so on a daily basis. Not me, I suppose I do dream every night, I just don’t remember any of them. Last week was different, because I do remember. I remember because I truly believe this dream was from God, for you and me today.

I was in a huge military like complex. In the center of this place was a building much larger than any of the others. This building sloped upward and outward at the center. In the middle, it had massive doors that had several layers before they were completely open, much like those in movies where the slide, pivot, swing, slam, etc. until all levels are open.

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This opening was for some sort of large defensive weapon, like a cannon. I never saw the gun, just the opening. I was able to look out and see the country side; it all appeared to be peaceful. I understood, or was told, not really sure that the enemy was indeed headed our way; and they were huge so I needed to get ready. Here was my problem...I had everything I needed, helmet, firearms, ammo, everything except something on my feet. I desperately started searching for boots to put on, looking and looking. Finally up on a high shelf behind some other stuff I found boots to fit me. I hurriedly put them on not wanting to be taken by surprise and not ready....then I woke up.

The very first thing I thought of when I awoke was our passage of Scripture we read this morning, especially verse 15 “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” and that got me to wondering what does this mean? Why did I have this dream?

Well, through this past week the Lord has revealed to me what I believe all of this meant. Many of us know this passage by heart, or have used it to gain strength in difficult times. That is good, that is what it’s for, and it’s also for us to know how we are to prepare for battle with the enemy. But there is something I believe we miss in our preparation. Most of the time we focus on the helmet, the sword, or the shield; however I believe the Lord would have us look closely at the feet this morning.

Just like in my dream, we can have a huge complex, the latest greatest weaponry, even all the equipment we need. But, if we don’t have the right footwear, we are in trouble. The imagery Paul uses here is that of a soldier of his day dressed for battle. That soldier was most likely a Roman, part of the most efficient, deadly fighting force known to man. Everything on him was tried in battle; he had nothing on him that was not essential to him being victorious. We are to be no different.

What does it mean though?

“And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

For us to understand we need to know something about the Roman soldier’s footwear. It was solid, firmly attached by laces or straps. It had a sole that was studded with nails to ensure solid, firm footing on slopes or slippery ground. It enabled him to travel quickly and surely no matter the surface. In other words he had a mobility advantage over his enemy.