BY THE REV. DUNCAN MACKENZIE, GAIRLOCH, ROSS-SHIRE,
MODERATOR OF SYNOD.
Preached at Opening of Synod in Inverness Church
on 2nd July, 1912.*
“Fight the good fight of faith.”—I TIMOTHY vi. 12.
(Concluded from page 260.)
VI.—The Commissariat.—None but the Commander could take charge of this department, for no one but Himself could provide and attend to the clothing and feeding of such a world-wide army. He is sealed by God the Father to give the meat that endureth unto everlasting life. It is very difficult, in our armies, in time of war, to have the commissariat up to the mark. Sad tales are told of the scarcity of food and clothing in time of war. But the adorable Redeemer and Commander, in charge of His redeemed army, assures all that walk uprightly and wage this holy war, that they shall not lack any good.
When the Lord led Israel out of Egypt, by the hand of Moses, the number of men fit for war, twenty years old and upward, was 603,550; and it is estimated this number represents about two millions and a half (Numbers i. 45, 46). Moses had a great undertaking to feed and clothe these, but God became responsible for the whole. Israel was forty years in the wilderness, and we are told that neither their garments nor their shoes waxed old. God gave them an outfit for the wilderness, and it sufficed until He brought them into the Land of Promise. He fed them with bread from Heaven—they partook of angels’ food. The manna ceased not till they entered the land flowing with milk and honey. This is what God does spiritually to all those who fight the battles of the Lord. They had no clothing to stand before Him, but, justified by faith, they were clothed in the spotless garb of the righteousness of their Commander. They shall never lose that garb. He shod their feet with the preparation of the gospel of
* The discourse is expanded more fully than when delivered.
peace, and they shall never cease to enjoy the blessings of that Gospel. “They shall walk with me in white.”
Moses was on the Mount with God forty days and forty nights, and during that period he did neither eat bread nor drink water. This indicates what the Commander is to the chosen soldiers whom He calls to the Mount. He feeds soul and body by His gracious presence. He gives His soldiers at times so much of His fellowship that a solemn awe pervades their whole being. He keeps them bound to Him by His love. But these highly-favoured ones encounter great conflicts, and much to try their spirits. Provision is thus made for the trying paths that have to be travelled, and the precipitous mountains that have to be climbed. The march of the Christian soldier is not a pic-nic march; yet, though the path be rough, they smooth it with heavenly song. Shod with gospel shoes, and clothed with the garments of salvation, they are ready to start at the word of command, or continue the march, or halt, as the case may be. They are marching through a land in which wily and cruel enemies are entrenched, and they have to fight their way right through. Every inch is contested by the enemy except when the Lord specially interposes and hotly pursues them, or causes every one’s sword to be against his fellow until they are decimated or utterly destroyed, as He did on many occasions.
(1) Joshua at Gibeon and Beth-horon routed the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, with their combined armies. The Lord cast down from heaven great stones, which slew more than did the sword of the Israelites; and the sun and moon were arrested in their course to allow Joshua to complete the conquest. (2) Samuel held a solemn convocation at Mizpeh, and the Philistines came against them. Samuel prayed, and the Lord sent a thunder-storm upon the Philistines, and Israel had an easy victory. This had the salutary effect of keeping the Philistines at bay for a lengthy period. (3) In the days of Hezekiah, Judah was invaded, and Jerusalem was threatened with destruction by Sennacherib, King of Assyria. Sennacherib had an immense army, and Jerusalem was in great distress; but the Angel of the Lord slew 185,000 of the Assyrian army, and allowed some survivors to flee to Nineveh to relate the destruction of their army without any human weapon having been used. Sennacherib, although he lived for about seventeen years after this event, did not again attack Jerusalem. (4) The Syrian army besieged famine-stricken Samaria; but the Lord relieved Samaria, by causing the Syrian army to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, a noise of a great host. The Syrians were so terror-stricken that they fled for their lives, leaving their all behind them—tents, horses, asses, provisions, etc. The signal victories the Lord bestows, often entail forced marches upon His army, but this enhances their position, for they get nearer the mansions of the King of Glory, where they shall receive their everlasting reward, and be forever
free from the clash and clang of armour, and the din of battle. “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”
During a period of famine Elijah was sent by the Lord to Zarephthah to be fed by a starving widow. By the blessing of the Lord the barrel of meal did not waste, neither did the cruse of oil fail, until the Lord sent abundance (1 Kings xvii. 9). This is an instance of what the One in charge of the commissariat does in grace and providence for His own. He at one time gave Elijah a diet in the strength of which he went forty days and forty nights (1 Kings xix. 8). Often does the Blessed One give to hungry souls food in the strength of which they go for months, and perhaps for years; but all this disposes them to wait more and more upon the Lord.
On one occasion He, with five loaves and a few small fishes, fed five thousand men, besides women and children; and twelve baskets full of fragments were gathered after all were satisfied (Matt. xiv. 15-21). In His hands little goes very far; yea, He multiplies, with His own blessing, that which we, in faith, bring to Him. “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich: and He addeth no sorrow with it” (Prov. x. 22).
On another occasion He, with seven loaves and a few little fishes, fed four thousand men, besides women and children, and after all were filled, seven baskets full of the broken meat that was left were taken up.
If you are afraid the next step will lead you into beggary, bring your emptiness and poverty to Him, and He will disarm you of all your fears, and turn your beggary into wealth. Emmanuel being in charge of the commissariat no obedient soldier need lack any good. For our sakes He became poor that we, through his poverty, might be made rich; my God shall supply all your need according to the riches of his glory by Christ Jesus. Having such a gracious Saviour we shall not want. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” “All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours, and ye are Christ’s; and Christ’s is God’s.”
Jesus is the living Bread that came down from heaven; those who eat of that bread live for ever. This bread is His flesh, which He gave for the life of the world. Those who eat His flesh and drink His blood have eternal life: they dwell in Him: He dwells in them. Those who feed on Jesus, live by Him. The Apostles knew experimentally the meaning of all this. “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life; and we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” Paul knew it: “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” “He satisfieth the longing soul; and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.”
He provides love feasts. He is so unlike every earthly commander; He dines with the rank and file—with the humblest soldiers. The more humble in spirit we are, the more will we enjoy the gracious presence of the Lord, and the rich feast He provides. It is He who provides everything. He is all our salvation and all our desire; and in Him are all our well-springs.
There are wells of salvation; rivers of pleasure for the special benefit of the army. Streams from the river of life gladden the hearts of those who are engaged in this spiritual war. Here the soldiers slake their thirst. The water which Christ gives shall be in them a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Fountains, wells, streams, rivers, indicate the richness of the supply provided. He who provideth for the young ravens when they cry, will not forget His soldiers, who have to bear the brunt of the battle, nor those to whom other positions are assigned. Surely no one need complain for lack of supply.
VII.—The Physician.—No physician, but the Commander, was qualified to act for this army. He has been sent to bind up the broken-hearted: to comfort all that mourn, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. He bore their grief, and carried their sorrows. He was wounded for their transgressions: He was bruised for their iniquities, the chastisement of their peace was upon Him, and with His stripes they are healed. He is the tender, sympathetic, loving Physician—the only infallible Physician.
“Those that are broken in their hearts,
And grieved in their minds,
He healeth, and their painful wounds
He tenderly upbinds.”
“All thine iniquities who doth
Most graciously forgive;
Who thy diseases all and pains
Doth heal, and thee relieve.”
He is ever ready to minister to the weak. “He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might, He increaseth strength.”
His soldiers come to Him frequently with their heart plagues and aches, and He never disappoints them. He keepeth covenant and mercy with those that love Him, and keep His commandments. A great multitude of lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and others, were often cast at His feet; and He healed them all. He went about continually doing good; healing all manner of sickness among the people. He is the same still. “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever.” The woman who had the issue of blood for twelve years, and spent all she had, and was nothing the better, but the worse, heard of Jesus, and His wonderful cures, and said to herself: “If I but touch the hem of His garment, I shall be whole.” She went to Him, touched Him, and was instantly cured.
Are you grieved because you, in your weakness, conclude that the Commander has gone away never to return? The two on the way to Emmaus had their sorrows and unbelief dispelled in a wonderful way, and they were filled with holy joy and peace in seeing and knowing their Lord. Are you afraid you shall be cast off? Another knew he deserved it, but he pleaded, “Cast me not away from thy presence, neither take thy Holy Spirit away from me,” and God heard him. Is the state of your heart a source of trouble to you? Another was in that state, and he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, and renew within me a right spirit,” and his petition was granted. Is the leprosy of sin getting more burdensome to you? If so, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin; and by and by, He Himself will pronounce you wholly clean; and present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
This Physician is (1) Jehovah-Rophi—”I am he that healeth thee.” We need constant healing grace, and here is what exactly meets our case: “I am he that healeth thee.” There is an ever-present healing cure to all the army applicants. No fee is charged. The soldier has no coin that can procure the blessings of heaven. Here is healing balm for deeply-wounded souls. The Physician Himself is the health of our countenance. Yea, our own God is He. (2) Omniscient. He is the fountain of knowledge. All true knowledge emanates from Him. This was great consolation to Job in his afflictions: “He knoweth the way that I take.” The Lord knoweth the righteous: it is a knowledge of delight. “Thy God shall rejoice over thee with singing.” “The Lord knoweth them that are his.” He knoweth our thoughts afar off. “I know my sheep.” His knowledge is an ever-present knowledge; it is unerring. Past, present, and future are one present with Him. He is the I AM. He does not require to diagnose disease. What a comfort that it is utterly impossible for this Physician to err in dealing with the troubles and diseases that afflict His patients! They know Him—”I know that my Redeemer liveth”—a knowledge of soul-comforting delight; knowledge that begets confidence in the Physician. (3) Omnipresent. His gracious presence accompanies them throughout their wilderness march. “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” “I will never leave thee; I will never forsake thee.” The keeper of Israel slumbers not, nor sleeps. (4) Omnipotent. All power in heaven and earth is His. He sends His Word in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, to heal and cheer His patients. They are kept by His power through faith unto salvation. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (5) Jehovah, self-existent, independent, the eternal, the inhabitant of eternity, fulfiller of His exceeding great and precious promises. He is the life of His blood-bought soldiers. (6) Compassionate. In Him compassions flow. His is the compassion of a tender
and gentle and faithful Father. Behold Him taking from death the only son of the widow of Nain, and restoring him to her alive.
“Such pity as a father hath
Unto his children dear,
Like pity shows the Lord to such
As worship him in fear.”
The issues from sickness and death belong to Him. He brings from the gates of death to the gates of Zion. He is the Resurrection and the Life. He not only healed King Hezekiah, but added fifteen years to his life. (7) Wise. All His dealings with the soldiers, in grace and providence, work for their good. Everything is directed to the best end. Christ is made over unto them of God the Father as their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. (8) Unchangeable. He is so in all His divine perfections. From the faithful He will never withdraw His love. His love, shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit, restores them to health. His love is a rich heart-cordial. (9) Holy. He is infinitely holy; His mission is to keep down and remove the cause of unholiness. The soldiers of Jesus are in degree holy, and they yearn for a richer measure of it. Their longing is for conformity in heart and life to their loving and holy Commander. That desire will have its full realisation. The standing order in the army is, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.”
VIII.—The Last Enemy.—The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. The soldiers of Jesus meet death deprived of its sting. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” It is indeed very solemn to die; but, if we were rightly disposed, we should realize daily that it is very solemn to live. A daily realisation of this is a good preparation for death. Christ is the abolisher of death; and He will finally destroy it. Christ is with His own in the Jordan of death.
“Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale,
Yet will I fear none ill:
For thou art with me; and thy rod
And staff me comfort still.”
Victory is assured to the soldiers of the Most High. They shall be, through Him who loved them, more than victors over all their enemies; yea, death, in regard to them, shall be swallowed up in victory; it shall be swallowed up of life. “Stand still and see the salvation of God.” Death frees them for ever from all their conflicts, from all their enemies, from all their impurities, and from sin itself. Death removes them from all their diseases, and the cause thereof. A young Christian soldier was told that his medical adviser considered him better. The young hero said, “Little does he know what I suffer”; and, later on, he said, “I shall be well at five o’clock in the evening.” He longed for that hour, and when it did arrive, he slept in Jesus.
IX.—The Reward.—The reward is (1) eternal life. “They
that overcome shall inherit all things”—all that the Commander has promised. (2) An eternity in the immediate presence of the Captain of their salvation; beholding Him as He is, seeing Him face to face, and enjoying Him in the home where the inhabitant never says, “I am sick.”
They have this reward in anticipation. A young warrior, nearing his journey’s end, was in great pain. While his mother was one day bathing his head, she said, “My afflicted boy!” He immediately replied, “Your happy boy, mother. You shall see that head with a crown of glory upon it.”
Government officials, successful in carrying out arduous expeditions intrusted to them, are, on their return to the fatherland, received with great acclamations and honours. Parliament votes large grants in money, and titles of honour are conferred. But here we have what eclipses everything terrestrial. In the Parliament of heaven, ere ever the world was, Christ Jesus the Lord was set apart as the Deliverer and Commander of His army, and in Him there was granted them an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. To that inheritance they are begotten in time; and when they have finished their course here, they shall have an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom reserved for them in heaven.
“They shall be brought with gladness great,
And mirth on every side,
Into the palace of the king,
And there they shall abide.”
It is the kingdom of their Father, and they shall there shine as the sun for ever and ever. Sweet words, “Father” and “home!” The eternal home is the home of the heroes of the faith. For ever with the Lord!
X.—Conclusion.—(1) Be, at all times, loyal to your Commander. “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath called him to be a soldier.” None but those who strive lawfully are crowned. Be faithful unto death, and you will receive the crown of life. (2) The enemies are very numerous, powerful, and united. They are subtle, cruel, and persistent. “Be sober, and watch unto prayer.” “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith.” “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.” (3) Keep the faith in a pure conscience—a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men: resort frequently to the blood of sprinkling. (4) If we are to prosper and be in health, we must, in humble dependence on the Commander, constantly fight against outward and inward foes. Pray without ceasing. Lay aside everything that hinders in the conflict. Avoid all roots of bitterness that defile. Keep up, by your good behaviour and your chaste conversation coupled with fear, the honour of the Commander and the army. “O let integrity and truth keep all who Thee attend.” (5) Never enter
the fight without being clad in the whole armour of God: wield the two-edged sword of the Spirit. “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Casting down imaginations, and everything high that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (6) Be loving, dutiful, active, obedient, valiant soldiers; and the Commander will feed you with the finest of the wheat; and your language will be, “Evermore give us this bread.” (7) Be clothed with humility: live and walk in the Spirit: walk in all the commandments of the Lord blameless, and you will be bosom soldiers of the Commander. It is a characteristic of the soldiers of Jesus that they ascribe all the glory of their victories to the Lord Himself. (8) If all, from the king to the humblest subject, were soldiers of Jesus, true prosperity would attend us; our land would yield increase, and God would multiply us exceedingly, and would cause peace to dwell within all our borders. If we war against Christ, and His cause in the world, in one way or another He will make war upon us. “Now therefore, kings, be wise; be taught, ye judges of the earth; serve God in fear, and see that ye join trembling with your mirth.” (9) To be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might, you must consult the Physician frequently. Realise that you have a disease that requires the loving attention of the Physician daily, and you shall do great exploits. When faith and repentance are flourishing great victories are obtained, and the presence of the Commander is richly enjoyed. Broken-hearted humble soldiers are in good fettle for the fight. “Add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for, if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” (10) Hate sin, that abominable thing that God hates. Seek daily grace to shun not only evil, but the appearance of it. Seek forgiveness daily. Keep on friendly terms with the Commander. That can only be done by your rendering to Him hearty and loving obedience. “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” “The night is far spent, the day is at hand; now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” The king of terrors will level your body; but your emancipated soul will immediately pass into glory, while your body rests in the grave till the resurrection morn. Realise the necessity of keeping the faith, and of finishing your course with joy. The day of death is the coronation day. (11) No soldier will lose his reward. “He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death.” “To him
that overcometh will I give to sit with Me on My throne.” “If we suffer, we shall reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will deny us; if we believe not He abideth faithful, He cannot deny Himself.” A crown of righteousness, a crown of life, a crown of glory is in store for the warriors of the faith. The Commander Himself will crown every soldier. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.”
In all our Christian assemblies recruiting officers from the bottomless pit are present; and it is an evident, but lamentable, fact that they meet with great success, although the work may be carried on unobserved. These evils spirits, when they retire to their squalid dens, report their success, and make sport of the foolish ones whom they succeeded in enlisting in active service, and of those whom they succeeded in retaining in their deadly grasp, and of inciting to further stages in evil. But Jesus Christ the Lord is also present in the assembly of His saints; and He is most heartily inviting sinners to join His army. If you then wish to be delivered from the powers of darkness, and from the sport of the spirits of darkness, and from being eternally stung by the second death, accept the offered invitation. Delay not. It does not pay to fight against God. “Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.” To-morrow may never be yours. Faith in to-morrow, instead of faith in Jesus Christ to-day, is Satan’s nurse for man’s perdition. Procrastination is the thief of time. Perish not, and such a Saviour offered to you. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
May we then be, all our days, faithful and true and loving soldiers of the Captain of the Lord’s hosts; and to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit shall be ascribed all the praise and the power and the glory eternally. Amen.
“Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”—What evil can come nigh to those for whom Jesus died and rose again? Does the sentence of condemnation, pronounced against the guilty, sound in your ears? Here is the proof that the sentence is blotted out—that the handwriting is nailed to the Saviour’s cross, and left there as a trophy of His victory . . . Are you afraid lest at any time you fall by the temptations of Satan, and be entangled in the snare of the devil? Here is the proof that Christ hath spoiled principalities and powers, made a show of them openly triumphing over them in His cross, and that the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. Does the king of terrors appear dreadful to you, and does his awful sting alarm your minds? Here is the proof that all his terrors are removed, and that his sting was extracted by that Almighty hand which was nailed to the accursed tree.—The Watchword, 1867.