Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

I Peter 3:15 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:

16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evil doers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

II Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Isaiah 40:9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

MEMORY VERSE: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn. —Isaiah 61:1-2

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The protection God gives His people for their feet is effective because they have fastened on the preparedness of the gospel of peace; they are cleansed, anointed, and ready to share the good tidings of the powerful gospel.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Ephesians 6:15 “Preparation”: an outward standing ready or an inward being ready; preparedness; the “condition of a person or thing prepared with the promptitude which the gospel produces” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). “Shod”: to bind under; be fitted. “Peace”: “the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).

I Peter 3:15 “Sanctify”: set apart as holy and mighty; to hallow; to revere; to “recognize His full holiness and treat him with due awe” (Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers). “Answer”: apologia (Greek); an apology, not in the modern sense of an excuse, but in a legal sense of a well-reasoned, thought-out defense that presents evidence or proof. “Reason”: literally, “a collecting”; an account or explanation in reference to judgment. “With meekness and fear:” with gentleness and respect.

II Timothy 2:21 “Meet”: easily used; profitable.

Romans 1:16 “Gospel”: good tidings; “the good news which relates to the Messiah, to his character, advent, preaching, death, resurrection, and ascension” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible). “Power”: miraculous might; strength; ability to perform.

Isaiah 40:9; 52:7; 61:1 “That bringest good tidings”: cheering with good tidings; announcing good news; bearing joyful intelligence.

LESSON BACKGROUND

Our lesson contains the concept of the soldier’s feet being protected by gear which enables him to be sure-footed on treacherous ground, tread without fear on venomous creatures, and plunge forward in attack with flying missiles all around. The soldier is to bind or fit this protection on his feet and legs.

The first part of the fitting process is preparedness of heart and mind. The conscience is to be “good”—or free from the encumbrance of sin—and the conduct irreproachable. Believing the gospel or good news of salvation accomplishes this. There is a tranquility and peace attained through faith in Christ and His Word like no other; certainly “not as the world giveth.” Paul’s second letter to Timothy speaks of being “purged”—from subversive words of no profit, profane and vain babblings, error and iniquity (II Timothy 2:14, 16, 18 and 19)—and sanctified—dedicated, set apart, and made holy.

The gospel of peace is a powerful agent. It accomplishes salvation, or justification with God, and reveals the righteousness of God to mankind. The prophecy from Isaiah 52 speaks of the beauty of the feet of the messenger who preaches the gospel of peace. Whether or not the apostle had this prophecy in mind when he speaks about the preparation of the gospel of peace being the footgear of the Christian warrior, it is clear from Scripture that there is a unique protection in the rigors of battle specific to the preparedness of a heart which believes and proclaims the gospel; a heart that has been purged and made holy, and keeps a good conscience; a life that is solely for God’s honor; who is easily used by God and always prepared to be profitable and do a good deed.

The basis for all of this is the action of “sanctifying” the Lord God in our hearts (I Peter 3:15). This passage is a quote from Isaiah 8:13, “Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” Moses, when provoked to anger by Israel at the waters of Meribah, made a grievous error because he failed to sanctify the LORD of hosts (Numbers 20:12). What exactly did that mean? Moses failed, in this instance, to set the Lord apart exclusively as holy and almighty and instead made the situation all about himself and Aaron. “Must we fetch you water….?” The action of keeping the Lord in His rightful place in all of our thoughts, dealings and actions; of honoring and reverencing Him as Lord of all, King of kings, the Holy One, the Almighty God; will cause us to put the enemy in his rightful place; people in their correct position, and most definitely ourselves in proper alignment. See then, how that puts the soldier in a readiness to combat anything, answer any charge, accomplish any mission? He is then equipped to give “an answer” of the “words of truth” (Proverbs 22:21), speech “with grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6), and a “word in
season” (Isaiah 50:4).

—Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. The “preparation” in I Peter 3:15-16 includes the command to _____________ the Lord God in your hearts, have a good ________________, and good ______________.
2. The “preparation” in II Timothy 2:21 is that a man must ___________ himself, be a vessel unto __________, ____________, and _________ for the _________’s ______.
3. The gospel of Christ is the ____________ of ______ unto _______________.
4. Which prophecy in Isaiah mentions “feet”?
5. What are the elements of the “good tidings” in Isaiah 61:1 and 2?

LIFE APPLICATION

What an awesome challenge in one little phrase! “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” I want to know how to properly equip my feet for combat and the forward march across dangerous terrain.

It’s really all about how BIG God is in my mind. I can see this in David’s mind as he faced Goliath. Gideon, as he gathered the little group of 300 and circled the Midianite camp. Asa, as he faced a million warriors with an army a little over half that size. Elijah, as he stood at the Jordan. Peter, on Herod’s death row. They were totally convinced their God was able! With this preparation we can scale mountains as if they were flat ground. We can tread on the spiritual adder and scorpion and all the power the enemy brings against us.

These are the good tidings we bring to all of our situations. My God reigns! He is able! He delivers from sin, He heals disease, He breaks all addictions. “He keepeth the feet of His saints.”

—Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

By Colton Purvis, LA

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”

(John 14:27).

Wow, what an amazing promise! I found throughout life there are many things that I could worry about if I allow myself, but I also know God’s great promise of peace to me!

In the past, I chose to worry about things too much. No matter how big or small the issue, I would just fret about it. It came to the point that when an issue would come up, I would let it steal my peace. I would dwell on it, trying to figure out what to do. I was definitely thinking and worrying about it too much. Unfortunately, being human, there seem to be things to get concerned over everywhere I look, and the devil loves it. He knows that if he can get me to worry over something, (which he’s very good at) then I’m getting farther from God and His purpose for me.

Thankfully, God helped me recognize my lack of faith in Him and how I allowed worry to slip into my life. In Ephesians it says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” The word wiles in this verse stood out to me. It basically means something manipulative or cunning which is used to persuade someone. It made me realize that one of the wiles of the devil is to cause worry, and that I need to be on my guard. I’m so thankful for God showing me this area in my life which was a hindrance in my walk with Him! My desire is to have the whole armor of God on at ALL times, in order to withstand whatever the devil sends my way.

Click here to hear an inspiring song, “In the Name of Jesus.”