The Feet That Bring Good News - Ultimately with R.C. Sproul

Summary4 min read

Ultimately with R.C. Sproul – "The Feet That Bring Good News"
Episode Date: June 8, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the profound privilege and responsibility of sharing the gospel, as inspired by the imagery found in Isaiah: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them who bring good tidings, who publish peace." R.C. Sproul reflects on how messengers of good news are honored, not because of their own power or eloquence, but because of the life-changing message they bear—the ultimate victory of God through Christ. He weaves together biblical reflection, historical context, and personal humility to emphasize God's sovereignty in salvation and the blessing of participating in His redemptive work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Messenger’s Role and Limitation

Sproul asserts that salvation cannot be achieved by human effort, clever argument, or compassion alone. The transformation of the heart is fundamentally the work of the Holy Spirit.
- Quote:
  
  "I can never lead a person to Jesus Christ by my clever rhetoric or even by my compassion. Unless God the Holy Spirit opens that man's heart, he will never respond to my message." (00:00)

2. Biblical Imagery: Beautiful Feet upon the Mountains

Citing Isaiah, Sproul unpacks the Old Testament picture of messengers racing across mountains with news of victory or defeat.
He explains the tradition that those who brought bad news often ran differently, with less vigor, and sometimes faced dire consequences.
- Quote:
  
  "The basic theme of antiquity is how ugly on the mountain are the feet of those who bring bad news. And you could tell the difference in the distance because the man who was bringing bad news ran in a little different way than the man who was bringing good news." (03:40)

3. Historical Context: Ancient Messengers and the Battle of Marathon

Sproul references stories such as the Battle of Marathon, where runners carried urgent news across vast distances, acting as the only link between the battlefield and the waiting city.
- Quote:
  
  "The marathon race is named because of the story of the one who was commissioned to bring back the news of victory or defeat at the battle of Marathon." (01:30)

4. The Power and Joy of Good News

Sproul likens the joy of receiving good news to the desire to thank the messenger, even though the messenger is not the originator but merely the bearer.
- Quote:
  
  "He didn't have anything to do with the good news. All he did was bring it. It's human nature." (05:00)

5. The Ultimate Message: The Gospel and God’s Victory

The privilege of gospel proclamation is to be a herald of "the ultimate A1 galleon," God’s victory in Christ.
God doesn't need any particular messenger but graciously allows believers to participate in His redemptive plan.
- Quote:
  
  "God doesn't need me, but he gives me the privilege of using me. And at a human level, on a terrestrial plane. I know that I can never lead a person to Jesus Christ by myself... Unless God the Holy Spirit opens that man's heart, he will never respond to my message." (06:30)

6. The Call to Faithfulness

The calling of every Christian, ordained or not, is to faithfully proclaim the message without focus on results, trusting God for the outcome.
- Quote:
  
  "It's my business to be faithful to the message, to preach it accurately and faithfully, in season and out of season." (08:00)

7. Warning Against Pride

Sproul cautions against pride in evangelism, reminding listeners that changed lives are due to the Spirit’s work, not the messenger’s merit.
- Quote:
  
  "Wouldn't I be puffed up to think that I'm the one who did it? It's the Spirit who does it, who quickens and who makes alive." (09:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Limitations of Human Effort:
- "I can never lead a person to Jesus Christ by my clever rhetoric or even by my compassion." (00:00)
On the Joy of Proclaiming the Gospel:
- "What a beautiful thing it is when I get to see somebody respond and their life is changed." (00:35, 09:10)
On Historical Tradition:
- "If the man brought bad news, he himself would be put to death. This is the messenger that comes to David with the news of the death and the defeat of Absalom." (03:10)
On the Privilege of Participation:
- "God doesn't need me, but he gives me the privilege of using me." (06:30)

Important Segment Timestamps

[00:00] – Introduction to the messenger’s role; dependence on the Holy Spirit
[01:30] – Ancient context: running messengers and the origin of the marathon
[03:10] – The risk and burden of ancient messengers; David and Absalom’s messenger
[05:00] – Analogy of the telegram boy and the joy of the recipient
[06:30] – The privilege of sharing the gospel and God’s sovereignty
[08:00] – The call to faithfulness rather than results
[09:00] – Guarding against pride; ultimate credit to the Spirit

Tone & Language

R.C. Sproul’s reflections are humble, passionate, and rooted in Scripture. He combines heartfelt anecdotes with robust theological insight, emphasizing the sovereignty of God and the privilege of being used as a vessel for the good news.

Summary

This episode encourages listeners to focus on their ultimate calling: faithful proclamation of the gospel. Sproul dispels the myth of human ability to save, celebrates the privilege of being a messenger regardless of personal merit, and calls believers to joy and humility in God’s unfolding redemptive story.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:01]
A
I can never lead a person to Jesus Christ by my clever rhetoric or even by my compassion. Unless God the Holy Spirit opens that man's heart, he will never respond to my message. But at a human level, what a beautiful thing it is when I get to see somebody respond and their life is changed. Here's a passage written for me and written for everyone, not just the ordained, but for those who were involved at all in Christian work of evangelists. Listen to what he says. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them who bring good tidings and who publish peace. Do you see the imagery that Paul is appealing to back to the Old Testament? Isaiah is making this beautiful statement in the name of God. And he has in mind, obviously the messenger of the A1 Galleon of the good news. The king's troops go out to battle and the battle rages. And there's no on the spot TV2 to give us an up to date report on what's going on in the battlefield. The whole history of the nation may be at stake in one pivotal battle. But how are we going to know who won or who lost? You've heard of the battle of Thermopylae and Salamis, and of marathon. The marathon race is named because of the story of the one who was commissioned to bring back the news of victory or defeat at the battle of Marathon. And so a marathon runner is one who runs a long distance because in antiquity, news was carried not by radio or by television or by pony express, but by human runner. And that person ran as fast as he could, with as much endurance as he could possibly have and muster to bring to the news of the king, whether it was defeat or victory. And you could tell after a while in the distance, you're waiting breathtakingly looking at the far hills, waiting to see whether there's anybody coming. And the first thing that you see really is the dust that's being kicked up as the man moves his feet. But I'll tell you, the people of antiquity could tell at a distance whether that man was bringing good news or bad news. Because it was a custom in antiquity, if the man brought bad news, he himself would be put to death. This is the messenger that comes to David with the news of the death and the defeat of Absalom. He thinks he's bringing good news. O King, live forever. Just what great news. The battle is over and your wicked son Absalom has been killed. Isn't that great? David said, no, it's not great. Absalom. Absalom, my Son, you know how he felt about that? He had the messenger killed for bringing bad news. The basic theme of antiquity is how ugly on the mountain are the feet of those who bring bad news. And you could tell the difference in the distance because the man who was bringing bad news ran in a little different way than the man who was bringing good news. The man who was bringing bad news dogged it a little bit, sort of dragging his feet on the mountain. But you can see the sparks flying from the runner on the mountain who's bringing news of victory and of triumph and of redemption to his people. Have you ever received good news from a telegram? Delivery boy opened that telegram, saw tremendous news, and wanted to throw your arms around the guy and kiss him. He didn't have anything to do with the good news. All he did was bring it. It's human nature. And Isaiah applies this now to those who become the bearers of the ultimate A1 galleon, the ultimate good news, the news of the ultimate victory of God, of his victory over the forces of chaos. The one who redeems his people, who proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. How beautiful are his feet on the mountain. Of the one who published good tidings, who publishes peace, he receives a blessing from God for the privilege of participating in God's plan of redemption. God doesn't need me, but he gives me the privilege of using me. And at a human level, on a terrestrial plane. I know that I can never lead a person to Jesus Christ by myself, by my clever rhetoric or anything else, or even by my compassion. Unless God the Holy Spirit opens that man's heart, he will never respond to my message. It's not my business to do that. It's my business to be faithful to the message, to preach it accurately and faithfully, in season and out of season. And God could be pleased never to ever have anybody listen to my words or respond. But at a human level, what a beautiful thing it is when I get to see somebody respond and their life is changed. Wouldn't I be puffed up to think that I'm the one who did it? It's the Spirit who does it, who quickens and who makes alive. You've been listening to Ultimately with RC Sproul. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe or leave a review in your favorite podcast app. For more information, visit ultimatelypodcast.com. Sa.