Stand Fast
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:15
Originally preached May 20, 1962
Scripture
15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Sermon Description
In the Christian battle with the devil, one of the most important things to have is balance. Balance is what keeps the Christian from slipping and falling into the traps of the devil. But how does one have balance? How do they stand firm and fight against the devil? In this sermon on Ephesians 6:15 titled “Stand Fast,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how Christians are to shod their feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace in order to obtain balance in battle. He explains how Roman soldiers would arm their feet with gripping sandals to provide firmness, mobility, and safety against traps. Similarly, when Christians arm their feet with the readiness of the gospel of peace, they are preparing and readying themselves to stand firm and plant their feet upon the solid rock of the word of God. It is what allows Christians to proceed confidently in the day of battle, knowing where they stand. Dr. Lloyd-Jones goes on to explain how it also represents watchfulness and readiness against the ever-present traps of the devil. It is through arming the feet for battle with the preparation of the gospel of peace that the Christian will be able to stand firm in the day of battle.
Sermon Breakdown
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The apostle Paul is describing the armor of God that Christians need to defend themselves against spiritual enemies. In this passage, Paul tells Christians to have their feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
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There are two main interpretations of what "preparation of the gospel of peace" means. The first is that it refers to readiness to spread the gospel. The second is that it refers to readiness to stand firm in spiritual warfare. The second view is more consistent with the context.
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The Roman soldier's sandals had studs on the bottom for firmness, protection from traps, and mobility. Likewise, Christians need firmness, watchfulness, and readiness to spread the gospel.
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Christians need firmness and resoluteness in standing for the truth. Many today lack this firmness and are compromising. Christians must stand fast in sound doctrine and in holy living.
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Christians also need watchfulness and alertness. Our enemy, the devil, is restless, ceaseless, unexpected, subtle, and constantly changing tactics. We must be aware of his devices.
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The devil will contradict himself and use opposite tactics to achieve his ends. He may tell us we are too good or not good enough, emphasize works or discount works, encourage laziness or fanaticism, spread doubt or credulity, etc. We must watch out for his subtlety and inconsistency.
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In summary, having your feet shod with the gospel of peace means having firmness, watchfulness, and readiness to stand for the truth against the devil's cunning schemes. We must stand fast in the faith and be alert.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.