Richard Sibbes and the Sovereign Christ in Us

Richard Sibbes was a late 16th, early 17th Century Puritan, preacher of Gray's Inn and Cambridge scholar when he authored The Matchless Love and Inbeing in London in 1629. Within these series of sermons and lectures, Sibbes sought to answer this question: "How shall we know that Christ is in us?"

"Where [Jesus] enters likewise, he possesses the whole inward and outward man to himself. He changes it like to himself ; He rules the eyes, the ears, the hands; He renews all, that our delights are clean other than they were before. If there be such a power in his truth, that, he a [branch] engrafted, it does change us into itself, certainly where Christ dwells, he hath as much power as his word. His word is like leaven, which alters the whole lump to be like itself. For the word engrafted makes the soul that believes it heavenly like itself, (I Corinthians 5:6). How is this? Because Christ comes with his word, leavens, alters, changes, and turns the soul. Christ by his Spirit and word is said to do it, because the Spirit of Christ comes with the word, which does all. Those therefore whose dispositions are contrary to Christ, Christ is not begotten in them. For certainly he does alter and change and fit his temple for himself, and drives out and chases thence, as I said before, all that is contrary; and keeps the door of the senses, and possession against all. He uses every member as an instrument of the Spirit and weapon of defense."

What My Neighbor Does Not Know

“But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” –Luke10:29

Imagine yourself confronting Jesus, God the Son taken on flesh, and attempting to justify yourself. Jesus whose face is set toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51) to suffer and be crucified to atone for sinners listening to you accurately quote Scripture, but then attempt to exempt yourself from following what the Scripture clearly says. An expert in the Law of God attempted that one day.

Yet, then I realized it. There is something important my neighbor does not know. There is something important my neighbor has not heard. Who is my neighbor?

Jesus asked this expert in the Law of God what the Scripture says about inheriting eternal life. Love God, love your neighbor as yourself, he answered. Our Lord Jesus approved of this man’s answer (vs 28). This led the man to ask Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” But Luke gives us insight into his heart. “Desiring to justify himself.”

This pulls us back to “love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s not about learning to love yourself, but rather how you like to be treated. I want to be treated right, even gently when I’m wrong! I want to be provided for, protected, and treated well. So, to love your neighbor in this way is to look to treat others with good things.

There is this troubling insight into the human heart God exposes painfully here. “Desiring to justify himself.” The expert in the Word of God dared to ask, what kinds of people can I avoid loving and still inherit eternal life? Where is the loophole, who is MY neighbor? And what Jesus does is this: instead of looking at the kinds of people who are my neighbors, who am I that my neighbors can be loved by? Instead of looking externally, Jesus cuts to the heart of this man internally.

This leads to the Lord’s Parable of the Good Samaritan. If you have not read this parable, I encourage you to read that now. Yet, I want the Lord Jesus to examine me using His Word. Who is my neighbor is answered from the beaten man’s perspective at the end. Who proved to be this beaten man’s neighbor (vs 36)? The expert answered correctly, “the one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “You go, and do likewise.”

Did you hear the authority of Jesus’ words here? This from the Word of God which never fades in beauty or power, unlike the grass and flowers, speaks to us right now. Words of life! You go, and do likewise. This leads me back to what I said earlier. There is something important my neighbor does not know. There is something important my neighbor has not heard.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few,” said the Lord Jesus at the beginning of this chapter. Pray to God to send laborers (vs 2). Go (vs 3). The Lord of the Harvest answers our prayers for more laborers by sending us into His fields with the gospel.

Dear Christian, who is your neighbor? Or should I ask, who is your neighbor’s neighbor? Show mercy by telling them something important your neighbor does not know nor has heard.

What an awesome privilege to know the gospel of Jesus Christ! Praise be to God for such mercy, to enjoy so great a salvation! And what an awesome privilege to be told by God, “go.” To show mercy as one shown great mercy. To tell the gospel as one who has heard and believed the gospel. Christian, there is something important your neighbor does not know and has not heard. Pray to the Lord for such laborers to tell them. Then, “go.”

Heavenly Father, You are the Lord of the Harvest. Dig Your plow blades deep into our hearts to be mercy showing, gospel preaching neighbors. Send us into Your field and bear much fruit in us for Your glory. Grant Your laborers wisdom for words our neighbors need to hear, boldness not to be silent, and mercy to show mercy by the power of the Holy Spirit. Father we ask these things as children adopted in Jesus Your Son. Amen.

McCheyne on the Urgency of Evangelism

Preaching from II Timothy 4:1-2, 19th Century preacher Robert Murray McCheyne gave an urgency to
gospel preachers to be winners of lost souls. Yet, I find in this an encouragement for all Christians and local churches to be soul winners.

"The great mass you will find to be unconverted.—Go, brother, leaving the ninety-nine, go after the one sheep that was lost. Leave your home, your comforts, your bed, your case, your all, to feed lost souls. The Lord of Glory left heaven for this; it is enough for the disciple to be as his Master. It is said of Alleine, that “he was infinitely and insatiably greedy of the conversion of souls.” Rutherford wrote to his dear people, “My Witness is above, that your heaven would be two heavens to me, and the salvation of you all as two salvations to me.” The Lord give you this heavenly compassion for this people. Do not be satisfied without conversion. You will often find that there is a shaking among the dry bones,—a coming together bone to his bone,—skin and flesh come upon them, but no breath in them. Oh! brother, cry for the breath of heaven. Remember a moral sinner will lie down in the same hell with the vilest."

Robert Murray McCheyne, The Works of the Late Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne Volume II, (New York: Carter, 1847), Page 68.