“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;” ~ Proverbs 3:5

“Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:” ~ Isaiah 26:4

“And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” ~ Psalm 9:10

“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” ~ Nahum 1:7

“Now reason why trust is so much required, is because, 1, it emptieth the soul; and 2, by emptying it enlargeth it; and 3, seasoneth and fitteth the soul to join with so gracious an object and 4, filleth it by carrying itself unto God, who presently, so soon as he is trusted in, conveys himself and his goodness to the soul; and thus we come to have the comfort, and God the glory in all his excellencies. Thus salvation comes to be sure unto us, whilst faith looking to the promises, and to God freely offering grace therein, resigns up itself to God, making no further question from any unworthiness of its own.”

“And thus we return to God by cleaving to him, from whom we fell by distrust, being under a new covenant merely of grace, Jeremiah 31:3, and no grace fitter than that which gives all to Christ.  God in Christ is full of all that is good.  When the soul is emptied, enlarged, and opened by faith to receive goodness offered, there must needs follow sweet satisfaction.” ~ Richard Sibbes

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.” ~ Jeremiah 17:7

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.” ~ Isaiah 12:2

If Any Man Will Come After Me

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” ~ Matthew 16:24

“There are two things that most trouble us in the way to heaven, corruption within us, and the cross without us: That which is within us must be denied, that that which is without us may be endured. Otherwise we cannot follow him by whom we look to be saved.” ~ Richard Sibbes

Denial of self is not the cause of our salvation, for Scripture clearly teaches,

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9

Grace was granted to us only because it was God’s good pleasure to do so, and for His purposes alone.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

There is within Scripture a tension between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. We cannot stress one to the exclusion of the other. Yes, salvation is all grace; by grace alone in Christ alone through faith alone to the glory of God alone. But that truth does not negate the clear teachings of human responsibility, nor do those commands imply that we are able of ourselves to walk out what they command. But by God’s grace, the same grace which saved us, we will be enabled to deny self, to pick up whatever cross God has foreordained we are to bear, and to walk worthily of His high calling.

And we should be given pause, if there are no evidences in our life of such a transformation, for all who are truly in Christ will give evidence to His life within them.

Moreover; we should be aware of the consequences of besetting sins and disobedience.

"If we bring any ruling lust to religion, it will prove a bitter root of some gross sin, or of apostasy and final desperation.” ~ Richard Sibbes

May we hear and heed these words:

"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, 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. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  ~ 2 Peter 1:2-11

Discontentment

"A childish kind of peevishness: when they have not what they would have, like children they throw away all; which, though it be very offensive to God's Spirit, yet it seizeth upon men otherwise gracious. Abraham himself, wanting children, Genesis 15:2, undervalued all other blessings. Jonah, because he was crossed of his gourd, was weary of his life. The like may be said of Elias, flying from Jezebel. This peevishness is increased by a too much flattery of their grief, so far as to justify it; like Jonas, "I do well to be angry even unto death," Jonah 4:9; he would stand to it. Some, with Rachel, are so peremptory, that they 'will not be comforted,' Jeremiah 31:15, as if they were in love with their grievances. Willful men are most vexed in their crosses. It is not for those to be willful that have not a great measure of wisdom to guide their wills; for God delights to have his will of those that are wedded to their own wills, as in Pharaoh. No men more subject to discontentments than those who would have all things their own ways."

"The casting down of ourselves is not from humility, but from pride; we must have our will, or God shall not have a good look from us, but as pettish and peevish children we hang our heads in our bosom, because our wills are crossed."

"Men lay up their comforts too much on outward things, which being subject to much inconstancy and change, breed disquiet. Vexation always follows vanity, when vanity is not apprehended to be where it is. In that measure we are cast down in the disappointing of our hopes, as we were too much lifted up in expectation of good from them. Whence proceed these complaints: Such a friend hath failed me; I never thought to have fallen into this condition; I had settled my joy in this child, in this friend, etc. But this is to build our comfort upon things that have no firm foundation, to build castles in the air, as we use to say. Therefore it is a good desire of the wise man Agur to desire God 'to remove from us vanity and lies,' Proverbs 30:8; that is, a vain and false apprehension pitching upon things that are vain and lying, promising that contentment to ourselves from the creature which it cannot yield. Confidence in vain things makes a vain heart, the heart becoming of the nature of the thing it relys on. We may say of all earthly things as the prophet speaketh, 'here is not our rest,' Micah 2:10."

"Therefore, in all our troubles we should look first home to our own hearts, and stop the storm there; for we may thank our own selves, not only for our troubles, but likewise for overmuch troubling ourselves in trouble. It was not the troubled condition that so disquieted David's soul, for if he had a quiet mind, it would not have troubled him. But David yielded to the discouragements of the flesh, and the flesh, so far as it is unsubdued, is like the sea that is always casting mire and dirt of doubts, discouragements, and murmurings in the soul; let us, therefore, lay the blame where it is to be laid."  ~ Richard Sibbes

Richard Sibbes: The Apostles Creed and the effects of true faith

“The Apostles’ Creed is a summary comprehension of the counsel and work of God concerning our supernatural condition here and hereafter. The doctrine of salvation is spread throughout the Scriptures. And here, for easier carriage, the most necessary points are gathered together, as so many pearls or precious stones, that we might have a ready use of them upon all occasions.“

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

the Maker of heaven and earth,

and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,

and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;

the holy catholic church;

the communion of saints;

the forgiveness of sins;

the resurrection of the body;

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

“There is a double faith, a faith which is the doctrine we do believe, and faith which is the grace whereby we believe; and this faith is a matter of experience wrought in our hearts by the Spirit of God. The main office of the Holy Spirit is in opening general truths, to reveal our particular interest in those truths, and to breed special faith whereby we make them our own, because the Spirit of God reveals the mind of God to every particular Christian,                         1 Corinthians 2:11,12; for as the things believed are truths above nature, so the grace of faith whereby we believe is a grace above nature.”

“Where sacred truths are truly apprehended, there the Spirit works an impression in the soul suitable to the things believed; every article hath a power in it which the Spirit doth imprint upon the soul. The belief of God to be the Father Almighty breeds an impression of dependence, reverence, and comfort. The belief and knowledge of Christ crucified, is a crucifying knowledge. The true knowledge and faith in Christ rising, is a raising knowledge. The knowledge of the abasement of Christ is an abasing knowledge; because faith sees itself one with Christ in both states. We cannot truly believe what Christ hath wrought for us, but at the same time the Spirit of Christ worketh something in us.”

“It is convenient for the giving of due honor to every person to consider of the work appropriated to every one: all come from the Father; all are exactly performed by the Son in our nature for the redemption of those that the Father hath given him. The gathering out of the world of that blessed society (which we call the church) into an holy communion, and the sanctifying of it, and sealing unto it all the privileges believed, as forgiveness of sins, resurrection of the body, and life everlasting, etc., proceed from the Holy Ghost.”

“Though it is we that answer, yet the power by which we answer is no less than that whereby God created the world and raised Christ from the dead. The answer is ours, but the power and strength is God’s, whereby we answer, who performs both his part and ours too in the covenant. It is a higher matter to believe than the common sort think it. For this answer of faith to these truths, as it is caused by the power of God’s Spirit, so is it powerful to answer all temptations of Satan, all seducements of the world, all terrors of conscience from the wrath of God and the curse of the law; it setteth the soul as upon a rock above all.”

“These articles are touchstones at hand to try all opinions by, for crooked things are discerned by bringing them to the rule. What directly, or by immediate consequence, opposeth these, is to be rejected as contrary to the platform as wholesome doctrine. “

“These grounds of faith have likewise a special influence in direction and encouragement unto all Christian duties. A holy life is but the infusion of holy truths. “Men of an ill belief, cannot be of a good life’ (Augustine). If there be a delighting in unrighteousness, there will not be a love of the truth; and if we love not the truth, then there will be a preparedness to believe any lie, and that by God’s just judgment, Thess. 2: 12.” ~ Richard Sibbes

Joint-Heirs with Christ

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” ~ Romans 8:14-17

“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” ~ Ephesians 1:11-14

“Christ himself, in his own person is the “heir of all things.” So he was appointed of God, Hebrews 1:2; and therefore the whole inheritance is absolutely his.”

“Man by his sin had universally forfeited his whole right unto all the ends of his creation, both on the earth below and in heaven above. Death and hell were become all that the whole race of mankind had either right or title unto. But yet all the glorious things that God had provided were not to be cast away; an heir was to be provided for them.”

“When man had lost his right unto the whole inheritance of heaven and earth, God did not so take the forfeiture as to seize it all into the hands of justice and destroy it; but he invested the whole inheritance in his Son, making him the heir of all. This he was meet for, as being God’s eternal Son by nature; and hereof the donation was free, gratuitous, and absolute. And this grant was confirmed unto him by his unction with the fullness of the Spirit. But,-”

“This inheritance, as to our interest therein, lay under a forfeiture; and as unto us it must be redeemed and purchased, or we can never be made partakers of it. Wherefore, the Lord Christ, who had a right in his own person unto the whole inheritance by the free grant and donation of the Father, yet was to redeem it from under the forfeiture, and purchase the possession of it for us. How this purchase was made, what made it necessary, by what means it was effected, are declared in the doctrine of our redemption by Christ, the price which he paid, and the purchase that he made thereby. And hereon the whole inheritance is vested in the Lord Christ, but not only as unto his own person and his right unto the whole, but he became the great trustee for the whole church, and had their interest committed unto him also. No man, therefore, can have a right unto this inheritance, or to any part of it, not unto the least share of God’s creation here below, as a part of the rescued or purchased inheritance, but by virtue of an interest in Christ and union with him.”

“All the good things of grace and glory which believers are made partakers of in this world or that which is to come are called their “inheritance,” because they are the effects of free, gratuitous adoption.”

“They are not things that themselves have purchased, bargained for, earned, or merited, but an inheritance depending on and following solely upon their free, gratuitous adoption.”

“By the participation of the Spirit of Christ we are made joint heirs with Christ. The whole inheritance, as unto his own personal right, was entirely his by the free donation of the Father, all power in heaven and earth being given to him; but if he will take others into a joint right with him, he must purchase it for them, which he did accordingly.”

“Hence it is manifest how the Holy Spirit becomes the “earnest of our inheritance;” for by him, that is, by the communication of him unto us, we are made “joint heirs with Christ,” which gives us our right and title, whereby our names are, as it were, inserted into the assured conveyance of the great and full inheritance of grace and glory. In the giving of his Spirit unto us, God making of us co-heirs with Christ, we have the greatest and most assured earnest and pledge of our future inheritance.”

“Thus as the Lord Christ himself was made “heir of all things” by that communication of the Spirit unto him whereby he was anointed unto his office, so the participation of the same Spirit from him and by him makes us co-heirs with him; and so he is an earnest given us of God of the future inheritance.” ~ John Owen