Friday, December 2, 2011

Fri.-Sabbath, 12/2-4/11 Devotion

Yippee--it's almost Sunday again. We *get* to go back to church! In order to help get us ready, here is Richard Sibbes, from his, "The Bruised Reed" classic. . . .

"JUSTIFICATION LEADS TO SANCTIFICATION

"This also shows that those are misled that make Christ to be only righteousness to us and not sanctification, except by imputation, whereas it is a great part of our happiness to be under such a Lord, who was not only born for us, and given to us, but has the government likewise upon His shoulder (Isa. 9:6, 7). He is our Sanctifier as well as our Saviour, our Saviour as well by the effectual power of his Spirit from the power of sin as by the merit of His death from the guilt thereof; provided these things are remembered:

"1. The first and chief ground of our comfort is that Christ as a priest offered Himself as a sacrifice to His Father for us. The guilty soul flies first to Christ crucified, made a curse for us. Thence it is that Christ has right to govern us; thence it is that He gives us His Spirit as our guide to lead us home.

"2. In the course of our life, after we are in a state of grace, if we are overtaken with any sin, we must remember to have recourse first to Christ's mercy to pardon us, and then to the promise of His Spirit to govern us.

"3. And when we feel ourselves cold in affection and duty, the best way is to warm ourselves at this fire of His love and mercy in giving Himself for us.

"4. Again, remember this, that Christ rules us by a spirit of love, from a sense of His love, whereby His commandments are easy to us. He leads us by his free Spirit, a Spirit of liberty. His subjects are volun-
teers. The constraint that He lays upon His subjects is that of love. He draws us sweetly with the cords of love. Yet remember also that He draws us strongly by a Spirit of power, for it is not sufficient that we have motives and encouragements to love and obey Christ from that love of His, whereby He gave Himself for us to justify us; but Christ's Spirit must likewise subdue our hearts, and sanctify them to love Him, without which all motives would be ineffectual."