Is The Gospel of Peace on Your Feet — Tim Conway

Peace with God Through Christ

He came and preached peace to you who are far off and peace to those who were near. For through Christ, we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. You want to talk about a gospel? You see what this is all about?

The Personal Gospel of Access to the Father

Giving us access to the Father. And we have access because there's peace. We've been reconciled. These aren't just objective realities here. This is a personal gospel. This is what you're supposed to put on your feet.

Christ as the Only Physician and Way of Salvation

Let me just tell you something about this gospel. Jesus said this. He said, those who are well, they don't need a physician. That's what he says. I've already mentioned this, but we have this truth. There's no other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved.

So you take this. Scripture says this. Only those who are sick see their need of the physician. There's only one physician. There's only one name, not two. There's not two ways. And then this. Christ himself said, whoever comes to me, I will never cast out.

Calling Upon the Name of the Lord

And then scripture says this. It shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The same Lord is Lord of all bestowing his riches on all who call on him. And you know what?

Paul says in 1 Corinthians right at the beginning of that letter, he calls Christians everywhere. Saints are described as those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let me tell you this.

Conviction of Sin and the Need for Christ

Here's the picture. Somebody's sick. Somebody recognizes that their sins. This is what Jesus talked about. Come unto me all you that labor. You're heavy laden. You're pressed down with sin. The sick. If you've ever been in a place where you recognize you're sick, sin sick, you've done things, you know you're guilty.

You cannot stand before God. You know there's not two ways of hope. There's not three ways of hope. There's not three ways of salvation. There's only one name given. He is the way, the truth and the life.

He alone, Christ. There's no other way to the Father except through him. You know that if you go to him, he will never cast you out. No matter how you may feel, he will never cast you out. It doesn't matter feelings.

He will never cast you out. It says that everyone who calls upon him will be saved. Now, you know what? If you called upon him genuinely in the beginning, Paul describes all Christians, they're people who continue to call upon him.

The Christian's Continuing Need for Forgiveness

Why? Because we continue to need to be washed. We continue to need help. We continue to need forgiveness. This is the gospel for your feet. It's very personal. If you, in a sense of your sin, if you recognized you need a physician, you're sick, Christian, are you standing here?

Are you resolute on this? Does this give traction to your feet? Can you say this? I know without Christ, I'm sick. I deserve hell. I deserve nothing else. I need a physician. I needed it then. I need him now.

Are you firm that without Christ, you're nothing? You can do nothing. Ultimately, the only thing that's going to drive a man to Christ and make him rely on Christ alone is a true conviction of your own rottenness, your own sinfulness.

Standing Firm on Christ Alone

But if you've come to that, apart from Christ, I'm altogether sick. My sins, it's like Bunyan's Pilgrim. You got that load on your back. You're heavy laden. You know it. Your sins mount up to heaven. I'm a sinner.

But you're firm and you're convinced that you have nowhere else to go. You were separated from Christ, but he's the one you need. You must have him or you're going to be undone and damned. And you're firm on that.

He promised he'll never cast you out. Not anybody that goes to him. He saves all who call, bestowing his riches on all who call and keep calling. Are you ready to stand there? And I just ask you, what's your view of Christ?

Christ's Work and Access to God

Why did he come into the world? What has God done through Christ? You know what he's done? He's given us that access to God because we were without God and we were without hope and we were far off. By his blood, the peace is there.

You know what you never want to do? You never want to start Paul's epistles just reading this as some mundane, mindless salutation when he says, grace to you and peace. That is from God. That's what he says.

The Gospel of Peace in Suffering

God is speaking. And you know what? We can go through life and the devil is going to be there to bring these discouragements and depressions and uncertainties and anxieties. And we can get to the place where you're going to go through suffering.

You're going to be like Job. You're going to go through dark seasons. You may go through physical things. Oh, so often physical, physical issues are so closely tied to spiritual ones. If we're physically down, we can feel spiritually down.

You go through all of these, but I'll tell you this. If on your feet, you've got this gospel of peace where you know you've got this certainty, I as a sinner went to Christ and I can stand on that. He will never cast me out.

Everyone who calls upon him, he will save. That is a gospel of peace that you want to put on your feet. That'll give you stability in the evil day. Brethren, put that on your feet and wear it. I don't know where Charles Leiter got the story from, but if you've ever read his book on justification and regeneration, he basically describes a man who has lots of faith in a crumbling bridge versus a person who has very weak faith in a very strong, well-built bridge.

You get a bridge that's decayed and ready to fall to pieces, isn't going to support you, but you're extremely confident it will versus the guy who is hesitating, whose faith is small, but he steps out on a steel bridge, well-girded, can support tons.

Which one holds the man? You see, it doesn't have to do with how strong your faith is, it has to do with how strong the bridge is. And Christ is that bridge. And he said, you put your weight on me, I will hold you.

You put your weight on me, I will never cast you out. You put your weight on me, I will save you. And you know what? You can go through storms, you can go through dark, you can go through difficult seasons, but look, if your only hope is Christ, you're a Christian, you're on solid ground, you can weather any storm.

You better have that on your feet. Put that on your feet.

This excerpt was taken from the full sermon, The Stability of Gospel Shoes, preached by Tim Conway in Manchester, England at Grace Fellowship Manchester.