Anatomy of a Man of God: His Feet, Part 2

In this part of the sermon: The second reason for beautiful feet is that they carry one who announces the good things of the gospel, which alone answer man's deepest needs. This is illustrated by an analogy…

An analogy of a colony of rebels, suffering from hunger and disease after rebelling against their king, who then receive an emissary announcing terms of pardon, food, medicine, and agricultural aid. This illustrates how the gospel preacher brings good things perfectly suited to humanity's deepest spiritual needs.

their feet beautiful is that they come bringing a man who announces the good tidings or the glad tidings of the good things that are stored up in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. And it is these which alone answer to man's deepest needs. Let me try to illustrate it this way. Imagine with me that we lived in the day when kings were the ordinary rulers of great countries and of whole vast segments.

14:15 - 15:00 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is a righteousness totally objective to us external to us it is a righteousness made up of the perfection of the obedience and death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The imagery of Isaiah's robe of righteousness is used to describe Christ's perfect obedience and substitutionary death as the 'doing and dying of another' that constitutes the righteousness provided in the gospel.

It rests down upon the perfection of the work of Jesus Christ as the representative of sinners. It is a righteousness to use the imagery of Isaiah, that is a robe that is woven totally upon the loom of the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ. Every strand of it is woven by an act of his own voluntary and perfect obedience to the law of his Father. And its woof is woven with the threads made up of his voluntary substitutionary death on the behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ.

25:52 - 26:36 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is a righteousness totally objective to us external to us it is a righteousness made up of the perfection of the obedience and death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Recalling a previous sermon's imagery, Martin urges sinners to 'lash yourself to the mast of Christ and his perfect righteousness' when facing God's wrath, emphasizing trust in Christ alone.

and your entering into my favor and good pleasure my son is set before you in him is a perfect righteousness his his come and be part of andμη为 weevening thy name on his firm地 Throw the weight of your soul upon him. In the imagery we used last week, last yourself to the mast of Christ and his perfect righteousness as you face the eye of the storm of a God who is angry with sin and with sinners. But they have good things to announce. Notice our text.

29:25 - 30:04 Read in full sermon

Driving home: God can make the gospel the power of God unto salvation if the devil himself stood in this pulpit this morning and preached it.

Martin uses the shocking example of the devil himself preaching the gospel to emphasize that the message itself is the power of God unto salvation, independent of the messenger's character, though this is not God's ordinary method.

is of paramount importance not its messenger Romans 1.16 says it is the gospel itself that is the power of God unto salvation and may I say it in a stark shocking way to get the point across God can make the gospel the power of God unto salvation if the devil himself stood in this pulpit this morning and preached it if the devil himself were to materialize and proclaim that in the person and work of Jesus Christ there is a righteousness there is a righteousness

41:08 - 41:49 Read in full sermon

Driving home: God can make the gospel the power of God unto salvation if the devil himself stood in this pulpit this morning and preached it.

The necessity of Christ's suffering (Mark 8:31), gathering His sheep (John 10:16), and appearing before judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10) are used to illustrate the non-negotiable necessity of an overseer's consistent godliness.

therefore must be and that little impersonal verbal form of the Greek word deo their day that little particle of necessity must be that's the same particle of necessity used in Mark 8 31 the son of man must suffer it's used in John 10 16 other sheep I have them also I must breathe and it's used in 2nd Corinthians 5 10 we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ how strong is the necessity for Christ to die if he's to be obedient to the father and secure the salvation of his people a non-negotiable necessity how necessary is it that all of his sheep for whom he died be gathered in tha...

46:19 - 47:47 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third reason for beautiful feet is that they bring one who is a living embodiment of the grace and power of the gospel he preaches. While the gospel's message is paramount…

Martin contrasts charlatans who exploit human suffering for money (e.g., prayer cloths, healing clinics) with Paul's 'disinterested love' for the Thessalonians, highlighting the genuine, selfless love that embodies gospel grace.

not the gospel of God only you became dear to us here's a man who says if the gospel's not real explain my selfless love to you when I was willing to pour out my very soul for your salvation seeking nothing in return if grace not worked in me he says explain that your own conscience testifies that I was not no professional cleric coming to Thessalonica to do my thing to send my report back to headquarters that I'd preached so many sermons and evangelized so many people in the Roman Empire he said you people know that you were the objects of my selfless what the old writers called disinterested...

50:42 - 52:10 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third reason for beautiful feet is that they bring one who is a living embodiment of the grace and power of the gospel he preaches. While the gospel's message is paramount…

Martin quotes Philip Hughes (and Calvin) on the seriousness of ministers' conduct, emphasizing that inconsistency dishonors the gospel and provides Satan an 'artifice' to bring ministry into contempt.

listen to these very perceptible comments of Philip Hughes a contemporary who has commented on the entire book of 2nd Corinthians and on this text giving no occasion of stumbling in anything that our ministry be not blamed but in everything commending ourselves as ministers of God this is what Philip Hughes says it is a matter of seriousness to Christians in general that their profession of Christ should not be in conflict with their daily conduct it is even more so to ministers of the gospel who are the leaders of Christ's flock and are set an example of consistent and godly living it is an a...

55:03 - 56:31 Read in full sermon