In ancient warfare battles were lost or won very largely according to
the weight of the masses of men that were hurled against each other; and
the heavier men, with the firmer footing, were likely to be the victors.
Our modern scientific way of fighting is different from that. But in the
old time the one thing needful was that a man should stand firm and
resist the shock of the enemies as they rushed upon him. Unless our
footing is good we shall be tumbled over by the onset of some unexpected
antagonist. And for good footing there are two things necessary. One is
a good, solid piece of ground to stand on, that is not slippery nor
muddy, and the other is a good, strong pair of soldier's boots, that
will take hold on the ground and help the wearer to steady himself.
Christ has set our feet on the rock, and so the first requisite is
secured. If we, for our part, will keep near to that Gospel which brings
peace into our hearts, the peace that it brings will make us able to
stand and bear unmoved any force that may be hurled against us. If we
are to be 'steadfast, unmovable,' we can only be so when our feet are
shod with the preparedness of the Gospel of peace.
The most of your temptations, most of the things that would pluck you
away from Jesus Christ, and upset you in your standing will come down
upon you unexpectedly. Nothing happens in this world except the
unexpected; and it is the sudden assaults that we were not looking for
that work most disastrously against us. A man may be aware of some
special weakness in his character, and have given himself carefully and
patiently to try to fortify himself against it, and, lo! all at once a
temptation springs up from the opposite side; the enemy was lying in
hiding there, and whilst his face was turned to fight with one foe, a
foe that he knew nothing about came storming behind him. There is only
one way to stand, and that is not merely by cultivating careful
watchfulness against our own weaknesses, but by keeping fast hold of
Jesus Christ manifested to us in His Gospel. Then the peace that comes
from that communion will itself guard us.
You remember what Paul says in one of his other letters, where he has
the same beautiful blending together of the two ideas of peace and
warfare: 'The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall
garrison your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.' It will be, as it were,
an armed force within your heart which will repel all antagonism, and
will enable you to abide in that Christ, through whom and in whom alone
all peace comes. So, because we are thus liable to be overwhelmed by a
sudden rush of unexpected temptation, and surprised into a sin before we
know where we are, let us keep fast hold by that Gospel which brings
peace, which will give us steadfastness, however suddenly the masked
battery may begin to play upon us, and the foe may steal out of his
ambush and make a rush against our unprotectedness. That is the only
way, as I think, by which we can walk scatheless through the world.
Now, dear brethren, remember that this text is part of a commandment. We
are to put on the shoes. How is that to be done? By a very simple way: a
way which, I am afraid, a great many Christian people do not practise
with anything like the constancy that they ought. For it is the Gospel
that brings the peace, and if its peace brings the preparedness, then
the way to get the preparedness is by soaking our minds and hearts in
the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
You hear a good deal nowadays about deepening the spiritual life, and
people hold conventions for the purpose. All right; I have not a word to
say against that. But, conventions or no conventions, there is only one
thing that deepens the spiritual life, and that is keeping near the
Christ from whom all the fulness of the spiritual life flows. If we will
hold fast by our Gospel, and let its peace lie upon our minds, as the
negative of a photograph lies upon the paper that it is to be printed
upon, until the image of Jesus Christ Himself is reproduced in us, then
we may laugh at temptation. For there will be no temptation when the
heart is full of Him, and there will be no sense of surrendering
anything that we wish to keep when the superior sweetness of His grace
fills our souls. It is empty vessels into which poison can be poured. If
the vessel is full there will be no room for it. Get your hearts and
minds filled with the wine of the kingdom, and the devil's venom of
temptation will have no space to get in. It is well to resist
temptation; it is better to be lifted above it, so that it ceases to
tempt. And the one way to secure that is to live near Jesus Christ, and
let the Gospel of His grace take up more of our thoughts and more of
our affections than it has done in the past. Then we shall realise the
fulfilment of the promise: 'He will not suffer thy foot to be moved.'