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

Consideration of the Cause of and Response to Apostasy in Individuals

“The first general cause of all ignorance, error, and misunderstanding of the mind and will of God, as revealed in the Scripture, among all sorts of men, whatever their particular circumstances are, is the natural vanity and darkness with which the minds of all men are depraved.”

“Two things I shall only observe unto our present purpose, namely,

(1.) That hereby the mind is kept off from discerning the glory and beauty of spiritual, heavenly truth, and from being sensible of its power and efficacy, John 1:5.

(2.) That it is by the same means inclined unto all things that are vain, curious, superstitious, carnal, suited unto the interest of pride, lust, and all manner of corrupt affections. Hence, whatever other occasions of error and superstition may be given or taken, the ground of their reception and of all adherence unto them is the uncured vanity and darkness of the minds of men by nature.”

“And the consideration hereof will rectify our thoughts concerning those whom we see daily to wander from the truth, or to live in those misapprehensions of the mind of God which they have imbibed, notwithstanding the clear revelation of it unto the contrary. Some think it strange that it should be so, and marvel at them; some are angry with them; and some would persecute and destroy them. We may make a better use of this consideration; for we may learn from it the sad corruption and depravation of our minds in our estate of apostasy from God. Here lies the seed and spring of all the sin, evil and disorder, which we behold and suffer under in religious concerns in this world.”

“And if we consider it aright, it will serve,-

[1.] To impress a due sense of our own condition upon our minds, that we may be humbled. It was in the principles of our nature to adhere sacredly unto the first truth, to discern and abhor every false way. We were created with that light of truth in our minds as was every way able to guide us in all that we had to believe or do with respect unto God or our own blessedness for ever. But in the room thereof, through our wretched apostasy from God, our mind is become the seat and habitation of all vanity, disorder, and confusion. And no way doth this more discover itself than in the readiness and proneness of multitudes to embrace whatever is crooked, perverse, and false in religion, notwithstanding the clear revelation that God hath made of the whole truth concerning it in Scripture. A due reflection hereon may teach us humility and self-abasement; for we are “by nature children of wrath, even as others,” neither have we any good thing that we have not received. It is better therefore to be conversant with such thoughts on this occasion than to be filled with contempt of, or wrath against those whom we see yet suffering under those woeful effects of the general apostasy from God, wherein we are equally involved with them.”

[2.] It will teach us pity and compassion towards those whose minds do run out into the spiritual excesses mentioned. The merciful High priest of the whole church hath “compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way,” Hebrews 5:2; and it is conformity unto him in all things which ought to be our principal design, if we desire to be like unto him in glory. Want hereof is the ruin of religion, and the true cause of all the troubles that its profession is encumbered withal at this day.”

“It is true, for the most part, there is an interposition of corrupt affections seducing the minds of men from the truth; with these are they tossed up and down, and so driven with the winds of temptations that befall them; - but is it humanity to stand on the shore, and seeing men in a storm at sea, wherein they are ready every moment to be cast away and perish, to storm at them ourselves, or to shoot them to death, or to cast fire into their vessel, because they are in danger of being drowned? Yet no otherwise do we deal with them whom we persecute because they miss the knowledge of the truth; and, it may be, raise a worse storm in ourselves as to our own morals than they suffer under in their intellectuals. Concerning such persons the advice of the apostle is, “Of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire,” Jude 22,23. Some are so given up in their apostasy as that they “sin unto death;” with such we are not to concern ourselves, 1 John 5:16. But it is very rare that we can safely make that judgment concerning any in this world. Sometimes, no doubt, we may, or this rule concerning them had not been given. As unto all others, the worst of them, those that are in the fire, the frame of our minds’ acting towards them is here presented unto us; compassion of their present status, and fear of their future ruin, we ought to be possessed with and acted by. But how few are they who are so framed and minded towards them, especially as such as by their enormous errors seem to be fallen into the fire of God’s displeasure! Anger, wrath, fury, contempt, towards such persons, men think to be their duty; more contrivances there are usually how they may be temporally destroyed than how they may be eternally saved. But such men profess the truth as it were by chance. They never knew what it is to learn it aright, nor whence the knowledge of it is to be received, nor were ever under its power or conduct. Our proper work is to save such persons, what lies in us, “pulling them out of the fire.” Duties of difficulty and danger unto ourselves may be required hereunto. It is easier, if we had secular power with us, to thrust men into temporal fire for their errors than to free them from eternal fire by the truth. But if we were governed my compassion for their souls and fear of their ruin, as it is our duty to be, we would not decline any office of love required thereunto.”

[3.] Hath God led us into the truth, hath he kept us from every false way? It is not, we see, of ourselves, that we either know the truth, or love it, or abide in the profession of it. We have nothing of this kind but what we have received. Humility in ourselves, usefulness towards others, and thankfulness unto God, ought to be the effects of this consideration.” ~ John Owen

God’s Preservation of the Saints in Temptation

“Consider what preventions the provident God useth against our sinnings.”


“By innumerable means doth the Lord stop our precipices, hedge up our ways to sin; that when temptation invites us, we may have hands manacled, and feet fettered with detentions; and we cozen the devil against our wills. He would have us come, and we would come, but (thanks be to God) we cannot come.”

“Let us meditate how we are blessed of God, and have reason to bless God, for these happy deliverances. As St. Augustine: I had time and place to commit sin, but then the tempter was away; thy doing, O Lord, it was that he was away. The tempter was present, but then time and place were wanting, thy doing it was that I wanted time and place. Time and place were convenient, and the tempter was there also, provoking me forward, all opportunities furthering; but then I had no stomach to it, lust was cool, my will had no will to consent: thy doing it was that I was unwilling, that the edge of my appetite was dull. Sometimes I had will, but then I wanted means; sometimes I had means, but then I wanted will; sometimes I had likewise will and means, but then I also wanted ability: another time, means, will, and ability were concurring; but then came in some other interruption; a messenger with sudden business, the distress of a friend, the invitation of a neighbor. Still, O Lord, that I was not led into temptation, nor captivated by suggestion, it was thy doing. Blessed be God, as for his furtherance in good, so for his hindrance in evil.”

“If we be godly, and find these things true, let us enter into our chambers, fall upon our knees, lift up our hearts, and say in humble thankfulness, Lord, thou hast delivered me, I find thy mercy, to thy name be the glory.” ~ Thomas Adams

Amen.

Imaginary Righteousness

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” ~ Luke 18:10-14

“The Pharisee prays not for supply of defects, nor acknowledgeth a defect of supplies; but tells his own fullness, and that great difference which his mistaken eyes saw between himself and the publican; swelling with his own wind till he burst.

They plough with the oxen of their own imaginary righteousness, and contemplate the farm which their own works have purchased, and marry themselves to merit as to wife; therefore in the pride of their preemptory stomachs they scorn the Lamb’s supper.

Therefore Christ refuseth them in his call, but seeks sinners; not sinners in perverseness, but sinners in sense and conscience, in plea, action, confession, and condemnation of themselves. It is a needy and acknowledged emptiness, that lies at his gate, who is rich in mercy.” ~ Thomas Adams