The Armor of God #3: Shoes of Peace

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Ephesians 6:10-18

Let’s quickly review the last two weeks of our look at God’s armor. We first looked at the belt of truth, remembering that Jesus Christ is the Truth, and the truth protects us and sets us free. Then we looked that the body armor of righteousness, remembering that righteousness is a right relationship with God, and that God Himself, through Jesus’ sacrifice, makes that relationship right. We are thus protected from the devil, as we no longer belong to him and are not enslaved by sin any more. Today we are putting on shoes. Specifically, Paul tells us, “As shoes for your feet, put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.”

Do you like to go barefoot? I do… to a point. I love to be barefoot inside when there is soft carpet. I like to be barefoot in soft grass. I even like to be barefoot on the beach – mostly because I hate to get sand in my shoes. But there are definitely times I don’t like to be barefoot. When I was a kid, my next-door neighbors had a gravel driveway – I always hated crossing that gravel without shoes. It’s hard to walk very far without shoes – there are too many obstacles that can hurt your feet.

Shoes are a foundational part of our wardrobe, not just to keep us in compliance with those, “no shoes, no shirt, no service” signs. [find a sign picture] Shoes protect our feet.

I am very interested in shoes. I have a different pair of shoes for every activity. I have indoor soccer shoes. I have two pairs of outdoor soccer shoes – one for hard ground, and one for softer ground. I have hiking boots and work boots. I have sandals. I actually have four kinds of sandals; my nice sandals, my waterproof Keen hiking sandals, my slip-on sandals, and I even have a pair of flip-flops. I have dress shoes – brown ones and black ones. I have some old school skateboard shoes. And let’s not forget my running shoes – I’ve got several pairs of running shoes. I don’t even need to mention my winter boots or my water shoes, do I? I love shoes. One of the reasons I have so many kinds of shoes is because they have so many functions. I wouldn’t wear my soccer cleats to preach – besides not being appropriate, the cleats would hurt my feet after a while. Indoor soccer shoes don’t work well on the outdoor field – I’ll slip and fall down. I love sandals, but I can’t run in them and I can’t kick a ball in them. My work boots don’t get worn that often, because I don’t do a lot of the kind of work that needs boots. And I’m very particular about my running shoes, especially when I’m running farther than about four or five miles – after that, my feet will hurt if I’m not wearing the right shoes. In fact, I’ll only wear my current pair of “good” running shoes for running. Not for basketball, not for walking around town, just for running. And after I’ve put 500 miles on them, it’s time to switch to a new pair.

This is appropriate to our discussion this morning. Not only do shoes protect our feet, but they also prepare our feet. If we want the appropriate kind of shoes to enable us to stand firm against the devil’s schemes, God has a special kind of shoes for us to wear. These shoes are whatever it takes to make us ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.

Again, we need to define terms. Let’s start with a brief language lesson here. Most of us have heard the word “gospel” before, but have you ever heard it defined? The Greek word for “gospel” is e’uaggelion, from which we get the English word “evangelism.” This word simply means “good news,” so the word evangelism means, “bringing the good news.” Isaiah 52:7, from which Paul certainly got inspiration for this particular piece of armor, says, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”

The Good News is the news of salvation. The Good News is that while we were yet sinners, Jesus Christ died for us. It’s the news that God has chosen to renew His covenant with us – that we are restored to right relationship with God through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Remember last week when I talked about the body armor of God’s righteousness? How that right relationship protects us from the devil? Well, that right relationship is also foundational for the Good News that brings us peace, and that peace enables us to stand firm in the face of the devil’s attacks.

The good news is supposed to be good news of peace. It’s time for more definitions. When Paul uses the word “peace,” he’s not simply talking about the absence of war. Sure, that’s good news, but it’s not THE GOOD NEWS. The peace that is GOOD NEWS can only be understood through the biblical concept of Shalom, a concept that encompasses our entire well being – including health, friendships, prosperity, security, and salvation. These don’t come just by our fights coming to a temporary halt. Paul, in fact, was writing about this Shalom from a prison cell – not necessarily our view of health, security, and prosperity.

Paul found Shalom, true peace, through the good news about Jesus Christ – that Christ died and was resurrected from the dead.

Do you know this peace? Do you know the peace that surpasses even the most difficult times of your life? And are you ready to proclaim this peace? Meaning – will you tell someone about it?

What do you think about when I say the word “evangelism”? Do you think of a crazy guy wearing a signboard saying, “The end is near” or a fire-and-brimstone preacher? Unfortunately evangelism has gotten a bad reputation. It’s unfortunate, especially if you remember that the word “evangelize” really means “to bring the Good News!”

What is the Good News in your life? How has God blessed you, even in spite of the difficult times? When you tell someone about this, you are bringing the Good News. Have you been delivered from sin or from a meaningless life? That’s Good News. Have you been forgiven? That’s Good News! These weren’t meant to be hidden – they were meant to be shared. You see, putting on the shoes of readiness to proclaim the Good News doesn’t mean anything until you actually proclaim the Good News! I had a teammate on a soccer team who showed up one day in a full complement of all of the most expensive brand new gear. He looked really nice sitting on the bench, but he never played. The point is this: don’t just dress like a pro. We called people like him “posers.”

No, we were never meant to be posers. The Church must constantly be moving forward, not simply with changing and updating methodology, but by consistently sharing Christ with those who don’t yet know Him. By proclaiming the Good News.

Here is your assignment for this week. This week, I want you to tell three people about something God has done for you. It doesn’t have to be a stranger – in fact, if you’re not used to doing this, I would recommend that you start out with someone else from this room. This way you can have a good practice session. This is part of putting on God’s armor – proclaiming the Good News.

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