By Richard Sibbes
“God in Christ would save us by a triumphant and abundant love and mercy and, the Spirit of God never goes but where there is a magnifying of the love and mercy of God in Christ; therefore the ministry of the gospel, which only reveals the kindness and love of God to mankind, being now reconciled in Christ, the gospel is accompanied with the Spirit, to assure us of our own inclusion and taking in of those benefits, for the Spirit is the fruit of God’s love as well as Christ. Christ is the first gift, and the Spirit is the second, therefore the part of the word that reveals God’s exceeding love to mankind, leaving angels when they were fallen, in their cursed state, and yet giving his Son to become man, and “a curse” for us for the revealing of this love and mercy of God, and his Son Christ to us, is joined with the Spirit. For by the Spirit we see our cursed state without the love and mercy of God in Christ, and likewise we are convinced of the love of God in Christ, and thereupon we love God again, and trust his mercy, and out of love to him we are enabled to all cheerful obedience. Whatever else we do, if it is not stirred by the Spirit, apprehending the love of God in Christ, it is but morality. A man shall never go to heaven but by such a disposition and state of mind and soul as is worked by the Holy Spirit, persuading the soul first of the love and favor of God in Christ. What are all our doings if they aren’t out of love to God? And how shall we love God except we be persuaded that he loves us first? Therefore the gospel brings forth love in us to God, and this love has the Spirit with it, working a blessed state of growing in holiness, whereby we are inclined to every good duty. Therefore if we would have the Spirit of God, let us think, meditate and believe on the sweet promises of salvation, upon the doctrine of Christ, Himself; for together with the knowledge of these things, the Holy Spirit slides, insinuates, and infuses himself into our souls.”
[ language slightly modernized in places by this site]
I was reading 1st Peter 1 a few weeks ago. This chapter is now one of my favorites. It is a great summation of faith in Jesus Christ, faith in God. If you would, please read this chapter. 1st Peter 1
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as aliens in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
The chosen ones of God were living as aliens in places into which they were dispersed. They were made missionaries, [many by seemingly unfortunate circumstances to other peoples.] God brings wonderful things out of seemingly bad things. Those who are His children are aliens to this world. The world does not understand us, why we do the things we do. They misjudge our motives and hearts, they cannot figure us out. We have become God’s children through the sanctification of the Spirit. The Spirit most immediately to us, initiated our salvation. He, in one way or another, turned our thoughts to Jesus, He drew us to Jesus, and Jesus reconciles us with God. God led us to God, and God reconciles us with God. We have a sure and trustworthy salvation. “and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Thank God, our salvation is His doing and keeping, and not our own. May His grace and peace be multiplied to us. May we come more and more to rely on His mercy, grace, and love for us, which will produce peace when trusted and relied on.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became the father of us again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Oh, Blessed be Our Father, God, and the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This reminds us of God the Father’s love and loyalty to His Son Jesus Christ. It is from this love of God the Father to God the Son, from which our faith in God’s love for us can rest. There is not much in us practically, in our deficient morality, goodness, conduct, hearts; seen by us and others in this world, that is at all worthy of God’s love for us. You see, this is not where our hope lies. Our hope is only sure, steadfast and truly hopeful when resting on The Fathers love and acceptance of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is in the righteousness, love, obedience, the covering of Jesus Christ Himself, that we may have a living hope. This is His wonderful and merciful gift to us. This living hope, who is the living God, Who dwells within us indeed, He is the source and only true Spiritual Life within us. His dwelling within us is what brought us from death to life. As Jesus was raised from the dead.
“that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19 and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,“
This same resurrection power has occurred in us, and continues to give us hope and life.
” and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. ”
We have a sure, and powerful Living Hope within us. The Ruler of All is within us, in a mysterious, but true way. Though we may be feeble, and weak in ourselves, we do have access to great strength and power. If only we had a fuller, deeper, more trusting faith in God to believe more fully in His power. I hope, you and I will seek, trust and believe more of the mercy and grace of God for us, to help us experience more of His wonderfully powerful working within us. May we share His great mercy and power more effectively with others, through His working in us.
I will continue this at a later date, Lord willing.- Paul M.
John Bunyan’s merciful appeal to sinners:
There is a people that therefore fear lests they should be rejected of Jesus Christ, because of the greatness of their sins; when, as you see here, such are sent to, sent to by Jesus Christ, to come to him for mercy: “Begin at Jerusalem.” Never did one thing answer another more fitly in this world, than this text this world, than this text fits such a kind of sinners. As face answers face in the glass, so this text answers the necessities of such sinners. What can a man say more, but that he stands in the rank of the biggest sinners? Let him stretch himself whither he can, and think of himself to the utmost, he can but conclude himself to be one of the greatest sinners. And what then? Why, the text meets him in the very face, and says, Christ offers mercy to the biggest sinners, to the very Jerusalem sinners. What more can be objected? No, he does not only offer them His mercy, but to them it is commanded to the offered in the first place: “Begin at Jerusalem.” “Preach repentance and remission of sins among all nations: beginning at Jerusalem.” Is not here encouragement for those that think, as far as wicked hearts go, they have no competition in the world?
Objection: But I have a heart as hard as a rock.
Answer: Well, but this only proves you are a greatest sinner.
Objection: But my heart continually frets against the Lord.
Answer: Well, but this only proves you are a greatest sinner.
Objection: But I have been desperate in sinful courses.
Answer: Well, stand with the number of greatest sinners.
Objection: But my gray head is found in the way of wickedness.
Answer: Well, you stand in the rank of the greatest sinners.
Objection but I have not only a base heart, but I have lived an immoral life.
Answer: You stand among those called the greatest sinners. And what then? Why the text swoops you all; you cannot object yourselves beyond the text. It has a particular message to the greatest sinners. I say it swoops you all.
Objection: But I am reprobate.
Answer: Now you are talking foolishly, and where you do not understand: No sin, but the final impenitence, can prove a man a reprobate; and I am sure you have not arrived as yet to that; therefor you do not understand what you are saying, when making groundless conclusions against yourself. Say you are a sinner, and I will say too; Yes, say you are one of the greatest sinners, and spare not; for the text is yet beyond you, is yet between hell and you; “Begin at Jerusalem” has yet a smile on you; and you talk as if you were a reprobate, and the greatness of your sins prove you to be, When yet they in Jerusalem were not such, whose sins, I dare say, were such, both for greatness and heinousness, as you are not capable of committing beyond them; unless now, after you have received conviction that the Lord Jesus is the only Savior of the world, you should wickedly and despitefully turn yourself from him, and conclude he is not to be trusted for life, and so crucify him for a cheat afresh……But I say, what is this to him that would fain be saved by Christ? His sins did, as to greatness, never yet reach to the nature of the sins that the sinners intended by the text had made themselves guilty of. He that would be saved by Christ, has an honorable esteem of Him; but they of Jerusalem preferred a murderer before him; and as for him, they cried, away, away with him, it is not fit that he should live. Perhaps you will object, that you have a thousand times preferred stinking lust before him: I answer, Be it so; it is but what is common to men to do; nor does the Lord Jesus make such a foolish life a bar to you, to forbid you coming to him, or a bond to his grace, that is might be kept from you; but admits of your turning to him away from sin, and He offers himself to you freely, as you stand among the Jerusalem sinners.
Take therefore encouragement, man; mercy is, by the text held forth to the greatest sinners; Yes, put yourself into the number of the worst, by believing you may be one of the first, and may not be put of until the greatest sinners are served; for the greatest sinners are invited first; consequently if they come, they are likely to be the first that shall be served.
Text was slightly modernized -Paul M.
Link to page https://wordpress.com/page/overcomebymercy.com/2495
I was struggling for a little while. Maybe I shouldn’t be publishing my thoughts as I am. Maybe I am not ready to share my faith. I probably do not know enough yet. I was thinking about backing away from doing what I am now doing. I thought maybe God doesn’t want me to share […]
Mercy Triumphs! 