Christ. A poor penitent sinner who comes to the Lord in faith becomes
one with the Lord in the profoundest union which the mind of man can
conceive. Faith in Christ unites the soul with Christ just as in
grafting the engrafted scion becomes one with the vital stock.
Now this is the beginning of our reasoning. We are assuming a poor,
penitent, weary soul flinging himself by faith on Christ, and thereby
becoming one with Christ, one with all He is; one with all He has been;
one with all He shall be, sharing His merits, His holiness, His
obedience! By faith in Christ I become one with Christ, and all He is is
thrown over me! And now before the devil I stand as one in Christ; and
in the day of judgment I shall stand as one in Christ, one with Him in
spite of all the sins of my past, and all the weaknesses and
immaturities of the present. "Thou hast covered me with the robe of
righteousness, and clothed me in the garment of salvation." I wear the
righteousness of Christ, and I wear it as a coat of mail.
Now is not that a strong defence? Go back to the illustration of
grafting. I saw a young graft which had just been newly related to a
strong and healthy stock. The graft still looked very poor and weak and
sickly, but it had become vitally one with the healthy stock; it stood
no longer in its own strength. All the resources of the stock were
thrown about it, the merits of the stock were now the scion's, all the
victories of its yesterdays, and all the sap and energies of to-morrow.
The stock is to the scion as a coat of mail! And so it is with the soul
which has become by faith the scion of the Lord.
"All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of Thy wing."
The righteousness of Christ is the breastplate of the soul.
Now let us gather up our practical conclusions: The righteousness of
Christ becomes immediately mine by the act and attitude of faith. Yea,
verily, the most leprous and unclean soul in this city, with a history
unutterably loathsome, whose faith looks up tremblingly to the Saviour,
is immediately covered with the robe of Christ's righteousness, for by
faith he immediately becomes one with the righteousness of Christ. By
faith I can here and now become one with Christ; however poor and
wretched I be, and however sinful I have been, the righteousness of
Christ becomes the armour of my soul. You say that is very dogmatic.
Yes, blessed be God, it is dogmatic, but it is justified dogmatism, for
it is the glorious dogmatism of the gospel of Christ.
And covered with the righteousness of Christ, that imputed
righteousness becomes progressively mine in the appropriation of
experience. His life flows into me like the life of stock into scion,
and all through my days I am assimilating more and more the
righteousness which covers me. His covering righteousness becomes more
and more my rectitude. His covering holiness becomes more and more my
obedience. His righteousness passes more and more into my conscience and
makes it holy; more and more into my affections and makes them lovely;
more and more into my will to make it rich and dutiful in obedience.
Forever and ever His righteousness will cover me, and forever and
forever I shall be growing into His likeness. His righteousness is my
defence. Yes, it is a coat of mail, a protection for breast and back.
His righteousness protects me from the things that are behind, the guilt
and the sins of my yesterdays. His righteousness protects me from the
things of to-morrow, from all the assaults of the unknown way, from the
fear of death, and from the day of judgment.
"When I soar through worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy Judgment Throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee."
IV
READY!
_Heavenly Father, we thank Thee we are called to be children of
the light. Even though we have been children of the darkness,
and have loved the ways of error rather than of truth, and of
sin rather than of holiness, Thou art calling us to the light of
eternal day. We would answer Thy call in penitence, and we would
return to Thee like wayward children who are coming home again.
We do not ask to lose the sense of our shame, but we ask to
taste the sweetness of Thy forgiveness. We do not ask to forget
our rebelliousness, but we ask to be assured that we are
reconciled to Thee. We would sit at Thy table and receive the
bread of life. We would worship at Thy feet and receive the
baptism of the Holy Spirit. We would stand before Thee with our
feet shod with the shoes of readiness, willing to go out on
errands of Christian love and service. If we are inclined to
frivolity may we become inclined to be serious and reverent. If
we are heedless may we become fired with heavenly ambition and
spiritual devotion. Redeem us from the littleness of selfishness
and lift us into the blessed communion of our fellow-men. Give
us a wide and generous outlook upon human affairs. Endow us with
the sympathy that rejoices with them who are rejoicing and that
weeps with them that weep. If Thou art leading us through the
gloom of adversity may we find that even the clouds drop
fatness. If Thou art leading us through the green pastures and
by the still waters, may we recognize the presence of the great
Shepherd and may our joys be sanctified. Hallow all our
experiences, we humbly pray Thee, and may we all become branches
in the vine of our Lord. Amen._
IV
READY!
"Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace."
Ephesians 6:15.
A little while ago an article appeared in one of the daily papers with
this startling title: "Boots and shoes may be vital determining factors
in the war." And contrasts and comparisons were made between the
opposing forces in respect to their footgear, and the provision which
had been made for keeping the soldiers' feet strong and hardy. And
allowing even for the ordinary journalistic exaggeration, it is a most
reasonable thing to assume that good, durable, well-fitting boots are
part of the requisite armour for all soldiers who are called to
prolonged and exacting service. Think of those heavy tramps in the early
days of the war, whether in advance or in retreat; and think of the miry
roads and the marshy ground since the rains have fallen; and think of
the wet and soaking trenches where the men have to stand for hours
together; and you will begin to realize what a vital part boots may play
in the terrible hardships of a long and wintry campaign.
In the Roman Empire scrupulous care was given to the feet of the
fighting men. The shoes were specially made, not only for long marches,
but for protection against the secret dangers of the way. They had not
arrived at some of our refinements in devilry, but some of their
subtleties occasioned great destruction. Gall-traps were set along the
road, multitudes of sharp sticks were inserted on the surface of the
road, keen as dagger points, to obstruct the advance of an enemy, and to
maim his soldiers and compel them to fall out by the way. And so it was
an imperative necessity that the Roman soldier be well shod, his feet
made easy for the most exacting march, and defended against the hidden
perils which would maim him in service and spoil him for the fray.
Now the apostle Paul had seen the Roman soldier marching as to war. I
think he must have been particularly fond of watching soldiers because
we can so often see and hear them reflected in his letters. We can
always learn a great deal from a man by studying his metaphors and
figures of speech, and we can get some very suggestive glimpses of his
tastes and interests by watching the analogies of the apostle Paul,
where the army is often tramping through his letters, and the Roman
soldier is often presented to offer counsel to the soldiers of the Lord.
And here in my text we are bidden to look to the soldier's shoes. He is
well shod, so splendidly shod that in a moment he is ready for any call,
along any road, and for any service.
And the Christian, too, has long marches, and often along difficult and
trying roads, and there are flints about and sharp thorns, and other
things that wound and make him stumble. And sometimes there is scarcely
a road at all, and we have never been that way before, and it is like
the work of a pioneer cutting his way through the jungle. What roads we
have to tramp! Especially when we are apostles sent forth on the King's
bidding! And, says the great apostle, "You need shoes for the roads or
you will be unfit for the long journeys, and you will easily become
tired and sore, and you may even drop out of the ranks." And what kind
of shoes are we to wear as soldiers of Christ? How can we be defended in
our long journeyings and in our crusades in the service of the King? The
answer to these questions is given in the words: "Have your feet shod
with the preparation of the gospel of peace." Now what is that?
Let me slightly recast the phrase. One of the words has slightly
altered its colour and significance since the days of the Authorized
Version. I mean the word "preparation." In the earlier days if you spoke
of a man of "preparation" you meant a man who was prepared, a man who
was equal to opportunity, a man who was awaiting the opening of the
door, having everything ready for the call of obligation and service. So
that the word "preparedness" would now be more accurate than the
authorized word "preparation." "Having your feet shod with the
preparedness of the gospel of peace." But I think we shall do even
better if instead of either of these we use the word "readiness."
"Having your feet shod with the readiness of the gospel of peace." What
is that? Look at it a little more closely. "The readiness of the
gospel"; that is the readiness which is born of the gospel as heat is
born of the sun. The gospel of peace enters the soul of a man and takes
possession of it, and then inspires the man with readiness. What for?
Readiness to take the road to tell others the good tidings which have
filled his own soul. That is it. The gospel of peace enters and
glorifies the soul, and it then imparts to the feet a readiness to take
the road, the long and difficult road, if need be, in order to tell to
others the good news which has set it free. That is it. Have your feet
shod with the readiness begotten of the gospel of peace!
Let me give an example, and let it be taken from the book of the
prophet Isaiah. Here, then, are people in exile, sitting in the cold
shadow of oppression, and longing for freedom and home. And over the
hard mountain tracks there come messengers, swift messengers carrying
the glad tidings of emancipation. There they come over the long roads!
And when the suffering exiles see and hear them they break into this
song: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that
bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings
of God, that publisheth salvation; that saith to Zion, Thy God reigneth!
Break forth into joy! Sing together!" The feet of the messengers were
shod with the readiness begotten of good news, and they were speeding
with comfort to the desolate and distressed.
We have another example in the same book where messengers who were
ladened with a rich experience were bidden to take the high road and
tell their news to others. "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!... He shall feed His flock like a
shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His
bosom; and shall gently lead those that are with young." That was the
good news, and with the readiness begotten of the good news the
messengers hastened to make it known. And so it is that our feet, as
disciples of the Lord Jesus, are to be shod with similar readiness, the
readiness begotten of our own experience of the goodness of God, the
readiness to go out on the rough and troubled roads of life, into its
highways and its byways, its broad streets and its narrow streets,
carrying the good cheer of the news of God's redeeming love and grace.
To be ready to go wherever there is any form of bondage, singing the
gospel song of joy and freedom,--that is the privileged service of the
soldiers of the Lord. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of
him that bringeth good tidings!" "Have your feet shod with the readiness
of the gospel of peace."
Now I think it might be good for us to just glance along the roads of
life and look at one or two sorts of people who are held in spiritual
bondage, and who are therefore in need of good news and cheer, and we
will challenge ourselves if our feet are shod with readiness to take
them the gospel of peace. Well, then, look down this road, for here is a
soul who is held in the bondage of despondency and despair. You will
find such souls upon almost any road you like to tread. They are souls
who somehow have fainted; they have lost the warm, cheering, kindling
light of hope. Now failure is never really deadly until it puts out our
hope and freezes the springs of resolution. The only really fatal
element in defeat is the resolution not to try again. We have only
terribly failed when we have furled our sails. Yes, I repeat it; failure
only becomes virulent when it breeds despair.
Now these folk are on the road. They have so utterly failed that they
have lost their vital confidence, and they have become pathetic victims
of self-disparagement. What do they need? They need to have their lamps
re-lit with the cheering light of hope. They need to have their fires
rekindled with the blessed warmth of confidence. They need to hear of
new dawnings, of radiant to-morrows, of larger, brighter coming days.
And if they do need light and fire and sunrise, what is that but to say
that they need to hear again the good tidings of the inexhaustible love
of the risen Lord. They just need Jesus, and the comforting gospel of
His peace.
Yes, but who is to take it? Messengers are wanted, messengers shod with
"the readiness of the gospel of peace," messengers swift and ready to
run these glorious errands as the ministers of eternal hope. Now, are we
shod with that gospel readiness? Are our feet ready for the road? It is
a noble and a gracious ministry. How beautiful upon the mountains are
the feet of him that bringeth oil to smouldering lamps, and fuel to
dying fires, and that cheer and illumine the cold haunts of despondency
and despair! It is Mark Rutherford who says somewhere in what is to me
an unforgettable word: "Blessed are they who heal us of our
self-despisings." Yes, verily it is a beautiful ministry to kindle again
the lovely light of confidence and hope. Are we ready for such service?
Soldiers of Jesus, are our feet "shod with the readiness of the gospel
of peace"?
Look again along the road. Here is another lonely soul, held in the
bondage of a blinding experience. Let us say it is Saul of Tarsus, who
is now on the road to Damascus: "And as he journeyed, he came near
Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him: Saul, Saul,
why persecuteth thou me?... And Saul arose from the earth, and when his
eyes were opened he saw no man: but they led him by the hand and brought
him into Damascus." Now here is a man who is held in the bondage of a
blinding experience. He has been smitten in the midnight, but has not
yet seen the dawn. He is convicted of sin, but has not yet found peace.
He has lost his old life but has not yet found the new one. His old
delights have gone, but the new joys have not yet arrived. He has been
stunned, but he is not yet free! And there he is! What is needed? O
surely, what is needed is some human messenger in whom the gospel of
peace dwells like summer sunshine and fragrance, and whose feet are shod
with readiness to carry that gracious summer to others. "And the Lord
said unto Ananias, Arise and go into the street which is called
Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul.... And
Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands
on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto
thee on the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive
thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell
from his eyes as it had been scales." And so the blinded found his
sight, and the enslaved found his liberty, and the bewildered found his
peace; and one of the Lord's messengers was the human minister in the
great emancipation. His feet were shod with the readiness of the gospel
of peace. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that
bringeth good tidings."
There are other blinded people along the road, people who are stunned
and bewildered, not by dazzling light but by fierce lightning. There are
people who are just blinded by calamity. They have suffered the
lightning stroke of disaster or bereavement. I was talking to one such
troubled soul this very week; and speaking of the repeated blows of her
heavy sorrows she said: "They just left me blind and dumb!" Blind and
dumb along the road! What did she need? O, she just needed the restoring
balm and cordials of heavenly comfort. She needed the soft consolations
of divine grace. And what is that but to say again that she needed the
gospel of peace? And where are the messengers, with feet shod with the
readiness of the gospel of peace, to carry the good tidings to this soul
held in the bondage of silence and night? How unspeakable is the
privilege of carrying this holy grace, and seeing the holy light of
faith breaking upon the face of bewilderment, lovelier far than the
glory of sunrise breaking upon the mountains, flushing the cold snows,
and suffusing with living color the gloominess of the pines! Yes, it is
a beautiful service to carry good tidings to those who are stunned. "How
beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of him that bringeth good
tidings!" Soldiers of Jesus, are our feet shod with this readiness of
the gospel of peace?
Look once more down the road, for there is another soul held in the
bondage of ignorance. Let it be a man of Ethiopia. Let the road be the
steep descent which leadeth down from Jerusalem to Gaza. "A man of
Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace, Queen of the
Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and did go to
Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot,
read Esaias, the prophet." This man has the Word, but he has not got the
clue. He has the Scriptures, but he has no interpreter. What is needed?
He needs some messenger in whom the Word has become life, and who has
discovered the central secret of the Scriptures in the companionship of
the Lord. "The angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and
go toward the south, unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto
Gaza. And he arose and went." "How beautiful upon the mountain are the
feet of him that bringeth good tidings!" "And Philip ran thither to him,
and heard him read the prophet Esaias." He ran on his errand because his
feet were shod with readiness!
"Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee."
"And Philip said, Understandest thou what thou readest?" So he
explained to him the Word, and through the Word led him unto the Lord.
And this is the last word we read about this man going down to Egypt:
"He went on his way rejoicing!" What a ministry for a servant of the
Lord! And that is your gracious service, fellow-preacher, in the
ministry of the Word. And that is your privilege, Sunday-school teacher,
when you meet your children in the class. You are appointed by the Lord
to light up words that will burn in your scholars' minds to the very end
of the pilgrim way. And that is the privilege of all of us if we will
just have confidence in the guiding grace of the Lord. We need not be
stars in order to light lamps and kindle fires. A taper is quite enough
if it burns with genuine flame. Our greatest fitness for this kind of
service is to be ready to do it, and the Lord Himself will provide the
needful equipment. To have feet shod with readiness, that is what we
need. Then through our ministry it may joyfully happen that many of
"The sons of ignorance and night
Will dwell in the eternal light
Through the eternal love."
There is only one thing remaining to be said. The apostle teaches that
such readiness is armour for our own souls, it is defensive armour
against the world, the flesh and the devil. To be ready to tell the good
news of grace, the gospel of peace, is to have stout protection as you
trudge along the road. Readiness is one piece of armour in the panoply
of God. The soul which is not ready to serve is an easy prey to the evil
one. A man whose feet are swift to carry the good tidings of grace is
the favoured child of glorious promise: "He shall give His angels charge
over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." While we are ministering to
others we are being ministered unto by the spirits that surround His
throne, and our security is complete.
Then let us pray for the grace and protection of readiness. Let us
pray that the gospel of peace may more and more deeply possess our
souls, so that we may be inspired with that spontaneous readiness which
awaits the King's bidding, and which speeds on its way carrying the
glorious treasures of grace. "Have your feet shod with the readiness of
the gospel of peace." "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of
him that bringeth good tidings!"
V
THE SHIELD OF FAITH
_Most Holy God, Who lightenest every man that cometh into the
world, enlighten our hearts, we pray Thee, with the light of Thy
grace, that we may fully know our sins and our shortcomings, and
may confess them with true sorrow and contrition of heart.
Unveil Thy love to us, so that in its clear shining we may
behold the sin of our rebellion, and may turn unto Thee in
humility and fervent devotion. Deliver us, we pray Thee, from
the tyranny of evil habit. Save us from acknowledging any
sovereignty above Thine. Keep us in sight of the great white
throne, and may Thy judgments determine all our ways. Defend us
when we are tempted to fields of transgression. Protect us from
the allurements which assail the senses, and which entice us,
through our fleshly desires, into impure delights. Loose us from
the bonds of vanity and pride, and remove every perverting
prejudice which blinds our vision. Impart unto us the grace of
simplicity. May our worship be perfectly candid and sincere.
Give us a healthy recoil from all hypocrisy, from all mere
acting in Thy holy Presence. Quicken our perception that we may
realize Thy Presence, and feel the awe of the unseen. Lead us,
we pray Thee, to the fountain of life. Quicken our souls so that
we may apprehend the things that concern our peace. Amen._
V
THE SHIELD OF FAITH
"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be
able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Ephesians
6:16.
But did the apostle who gives the counsel find his faith an
all-sufficient shield? He recommends the shield of faith, but is the
recommendation based on personal experience? And if so, what is the
nature and value of that experience? What sort of protection did his
faith give to him? When I examine his life what tokens do I find of
guardianship and strong defence? When I move through the ways of his
experience is it like passing through quiet and shady cloisters shut
away from the noise and heat of the fierce and feverish world? Is his
protected life like a garden walled around, full of sweet and pleasant
things, and secured against the maraudings of robber and beast? Let us
look at this protected life. Let us glance at the outer circumstances.
Here is one glimpse of his experience: "Of the Jews five times received
I forty stripes save one; once was I stoned; thrice have I suffered
shipwreck; a day and a night have I been in the deep; in stripes above
measure; in prisons more frequent; in deaths oft; in weariness and
painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings
often, in cold and nakedness." And yet this is the man who speaks about
the shield of faith, and in spite of the protecting shield all these
things happened unto him!