The Shoes Of Preparation Of The Gospel

Title: The shoes of preparation of the gospel

Text: Ephesians 6:15

and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;

Introduction

Paul was one who was much acquainted with spiritual warfare. Paul experienced spiritual warfare in the area of persecution. He was beaten, stoned and was even left to die when he was at Iconium. When he was arrested in Jerusalem, he was probably weighed down by much discouragement. He wrote in 2Timothy 4:6

“At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.”

Paul was also given a thorn in the flesh which was described as a messenger of satan. Paul stood firm until the very end despite the fierce warfare he had undergone.

It is not surprising that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write an important passage in Ephesians urging believers to stand firm in spiritual warfare.

All believers in Christ are engaged in spiritual warfare in one way or another. Some believed that if you leave the devil alone, he will not harass you. That is totally untrue for the bible says in 1 Peter 5:8

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

He will devour you, if you are not in your protective armour. For this reason, it is extremely important for all believers to put on the full amour of God and for today’s message I will be emphasizing on the shoes of the preparation of the gospel.

1. The Importance of the battle shoes

The battle footwear is extremely important.

The Christian soldier who has carefully girded his lions with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness, but does not shod his feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, he will stumble and fall and suffer many defeats.

Let us turn to the bible in Ephesians 6:15

and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; (NASB)

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (NIV)

When Paul wrote about the battle shoes, he was evidently referring to the battle sandals worn by the Roman soldier.

The Roman soldier’s shoes were not an ordinary kind of shoes. They were made out of bronze or brass—usually brass—and the shoes were primarily composed of two parts: (1) the greave, and (2) the shoe itself.

The greave was a piece of beautifully tooled metal that began at the top of the knee and extended down past the lower leg, finally resting on the upper portion of the foot. This tube like piece of metal caused the Roman soldier’s shoes to look like boots that were made of brass!

This upper portion of his footwear was very important! This piece of armour protected the soldier’s legs from being bruised, lacerated or broken in battle. Commanding officers gave orders that required Roman soldiers to carry out difficult missions. At times, these dangerous missions required the soldiers to walk through rocky places and to scale difficult barriers. Without protective guards on their lower legs, their legs would have been severely wounded and bruised as they dragged their legs past rough and sharp rocks.

The shoe itself was made of two pieces of metal. On the top and bottom, the foot was covered with fine pieces of brass. The sides of the shoe were held together by multiple pieces of durable leather. On the bottom, these shoes were affixed with spikes that were one to three inches long. This gives the soldier greater traction he climbed a slippery slope and greater stability as he fought.

The Word “preparation” or “readiness” in the verse comes from the Greek word “hetoimasia” and it means a prepared foundation. This means that the gospel shoes have the ability to provide a firm foothold for the Christian soldier who is engaged in spiritual warfare.

When the Christian soldier put on the gospel shoes, he will be able to march victoriously in their daily life without the fear of slipping or falling. He will be able to stand firm when the enemy launches an attack against him.

Next I want to explain to you:

2. What are the shoes of the preparation of the gospel peace?

The battle shoes can refer to the preaching of the gospel of peace or the protective peace that comes from God. For my message today, I want to focus on the protective peace of God.

There are basically three types of peace

i. Peace with God which comes at our salvation

The bible says in Romans 5:1

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Before we were saved, we were alienated and hostile in our mind against God but through the cross, we obtained peace with God.