Thursday, April 26, 2018
Ephesians 6:15
The Armor of God, Pt. 11
The Armor of God, Pt. 11
Shod Your Feet with the
Preparation of the Gospel of Peace, Pt. 3.
Preparation of the Gospel of Peace, Pt. 3.
Be Prepared
Grace
Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher,
Jim Rickard
Stand in Warfare –
Eph 6:10-20.
3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.
Vs.
15, “And having shod YOUR FEET
WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.”
The Roman soldier needed sure footing to enable him to march, to
move quickly, and stand his ground when necessary. The Roman sandal or military
shoe was bound by leather throngs over the instep and around the ankle, and the
soles were thickly studded with nails to permit surefootedness. This would give
him a firm sure footing in case of attack.
The analogy we have here is for the Christian soldier to
stand firm against the attacks of Satan, his demonic forces, and world system.
To do so, we must see to it that our feet are properly protected and equipped.
The phrase, “YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF
PEACE,” is capitalized in the NASB, because it is a quote from the OT. In this
case, it is from the hymn of praise in Isa
52:17, which is also quoted in Rom
10:15, and from the prophecy of Nahum
1:15. Yet, in our verse, it is more of a paraphrase. In addition, Paul
previously spoke of this in regard to Jesus’ ministry in Eph 2:17.
Isa 52:7, “How
lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces
peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and
says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”
Nahum
1:15, “Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who
announces peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; Pay your vows. For never again
will the wicked one pass through you; He is cut off completely.”
Rom 10:15, “How will they preach unless they are sent?
Just as it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news
of good things!’”
Eph 2:17, “And He (Jesus Christ) came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those
who were near.”
In all instances, the reference is to the communication of the
gospel of salvation that is found in Jesus Christ.
Next we have, “with the
preparation,” in the Dative case of the Preposition EN, “with,” and the Noun hetoimasia, ἑτοιμασία, that means,
“readiness, a state of being ready for action, readiness or being ready to do
something, preparation,” or even “equipment.” This is the only time this word
is used in the NT. It comes from the verb hetoimazO
that means, “put or keep in readiness, get ready, or prepare” in classical
Greek. In addition, it was used for the tackling of a ship, which meant the
ropes, winches, pulleys, and blocks that were necessary to sail a ship. If the
ship were not equipped with these things, it could not sail to its destination.
Therefore, the ship needed to be equipped with and prepared with the tackle in
order to set sail. So we could translate this, “with the tackle or equipment.”
Today, we also think of the usage of tackle as a word for
the gear and equipment necessary to go fishing, which is a direct analogy to
being prepared to witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Jer 16:16; Ezek 47:10; Mat 4:18-19; Mark 16-17; Cf. Luke 5:10.
Jer 16:16, “‘Behold,
I am going to send for many fishermen,’ declares the LORD, ‘and they will fish
for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them
from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks’.”
Ezek 47:10, “And it
will come about that fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to Eneglaim
there will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be according
to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many.”
Mat 4:18-19, “Now as
Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were
fishermen, (HALIEUS). 19And
He *said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men, (HALIEUS
ANTHROPOS).”
To follow Jesus was the preparation they and we all need in
order to be fishers of men!
Luke 5:10, “And so
also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus
said to Simon, ‘Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men’.”
Therefore, readiness to preach the gospel message is seen as
part of the soldiers “equipment.”
Occasionally in the LXX, hetoimasia
is used for establishing a foundation or a firm footing, Ezra 2:68; 3:3; Psa 89:14; Zech 5:11.
Psa 89:14,
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation (hetoimasia) of Your
throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.”
As you can imagine, the foundation we stand on is Jesus
Christ and our salvation through Him. So we could also translate Eph 6:15, “with the firm footing for the foundation.” Cf. 1 Cor 10:4; Luke 6:48.
1 Cor 10:4, “And all
drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock
which followed them; and the rock was Christ.”
This suggests the firm and solid knowledge of the gospel,
along with the eternal security that comes with it, in which the believer may
stand firm on and not be moved, just like soldiers in their military duty.
The cognates of this word, like the Adjective HETOIMOS, are
used in the NT to speak to the concept of “readiness.” This readiness is
demanded in three respects:
1. Readiness for good works, Titus 3:1; cf. 2 Tim 2:21.
2. Readiness to bear witness to the Gospel, 1 Peter 3:15; Eph 6:15.
3. Readiness for the return of the Lord, with particular
urgency, Mat 24:44; Luke 12:35-40.
1 Peter 3:15, “But
sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a
defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in
you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”
Luke 12:40, “You too,
be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not
expect.”
This readiness gives the Christian life a distinctive
dynamic character. It means to be vigilant, that is, to be preparing yourself
daily with the knowledge of Christ and His “so great of a salvation,” first for
yourself in recognizing the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life you stand
in. The sailors of the ancient day did not know when a storm would hit them.
So, they had to be constantly prepared for it, so that when it did hit, they
could weather the storm and ride it out safely. The same goes for the believer
to be prepared to weather the storms of life, and the attacks of Satan and his
cosmic system, because you never know when they are going to hit you.
Therefore, the best defense is to be always prepared; vigilant.
Secondly, the believer is to be vigilant so that you are
prepared to communicate the gospel of Christ whenever the moment arises. You
never know when someone will need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, ask you
about it, or the opportunity arises for you to communicate it. Therefore, the
best offense is to always be prepared to deliver it.
In virtue of it, the life of the believer becomes a life of
conscious and vigilant expectation, which assures of salvation and the openness
to the possibilities of action determined by it. That is why Paul tells us to “have our feet shod with the preparation.” The preparation is for the
readiness of battle inside the Angelic Conflict, and the readiness for active
propagation of the Gospel, which is the most effective means of combatting
satanic powers. The preparation is first for ourselves to provide confidence
for endurance, and secondly to deliver the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact,
when we witness to others, it causes us to stand more firm on the rock of Jesus
Christ.
~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A PERSONAL NOTE FOR YOU
If
you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell
you that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you.
God the Father also loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son
for you by sending Him to the Cross. At the Cross Jesus died in your place.
Taking upon Himself all of your sins and all of my sins. He was judged for our
sins and paid the price for our sins. Therefore, our sins will never be held
against us.
Right
where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in
your life. To accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life by truly
believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day
as the proof of the promise of eternal life. So right now, you can pause and
reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:
"Yes Father, I believe that
Your Son, Jesus Christ,
died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."
If
you have done that, I Welcome You to the Eternal Family of God !!!
Eph
2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: 9 Not
of works, lest any man should boast.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher: James H. Rickard
23 Messenger Street, Unit 3
Plainville, MA 02762
Copyright © 2001 - 2018.
Property of: James H Rickard Bible Ministries
All Rights Reserved.
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