On My Way To Heaven

This is the last chapter on the book, The Bruised Reed, by  Puritan author, Richard Sibbes. I am grateful to Tim Challies, who encouraged us to read this classic together, I loved the book, loved reading in a community, and loved learning from other friends.

16. Through Conflict to Victory

Our way to heaven, to eternal victory over sin, death and the devil is through conflict. “There can be no victory where there is no combat” says the author, and this we see in throughout the Bible, even Jesus, our perfect Savior, had to battle even unto death to achieve  victory.

Today Christ’s  government is opposed, Sibbes mentions 3 causes:

1. It is opposed because “it is government, and that limits the course of the will and casts a bridle on its wanderings”

2. “It is spiritual government, and therefore the flesh will endure it even less”

3. It is opposed because “it is judgment, and men do not like to be judged and censured”

Now, if Christ’s Kingdom is opposed, we as Christians, should also expect opposition. Satan will oppose the Christian and “Satan’s malice is especially against the most religious and manly resolutions”

Satan has people under his government, or better yet, under a terrible bondage, and those who think that are happy living in their sins and free to do so are blind, and are slaves taken by his father the devil to eternal perdition. I like the way Sibbes describes this so vividly:

“The further men go on in a willful course, the deeper they sink in rebellion; and the more they oppose Christ, doing what they will, the more they shall one day suffer what they would not .In the meantime they are prisoners in their own souls, bound over the consciences to the judgment after death of him whose judgment they would not accept in their lives”

But us, by the grace of God, have been called to walk through conflict and opposition with hope. we know that the victory depend not in us, in our deeds, but “in Christ, who has taken on Him both to conquer for us and to conquer in us. The victory lies neither in our own strength to get it, nor in our enemies’ strength to defeat it”

Let us not fear through the opposition, Christ is our Victory and by grace He carries us through conflict to victory.Let us remember the encouragement that Paul gives us in the epistle to the Ephesians,

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might”

The victory is ours through Christ, but we must fight, we are called to fight. On Sibbes words again, “Let us make use of this mercy and power of his every day in our daily combats”

I see clearly on this concluding chapter, the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints, more than once we are reminded that Christ will not leave us. He will accomplish in us what He has promised, daily on our way to heaven, He will be working in us and walking with us through conflict and opposition.

Let us not forget that we are on a journey, the battle may be fierce, but there is hope, we are indeed walking towards Heaven, towards home.

“Let us strive a little while, and we shall be happy for ever. Let us think when we are troubled with our sins that Christ has this in charge from His Father, that he shall not quench the smoking flax, until he has subdued all”

Satan will try to oppose us by pointing to our great sins, but let us remember that we have a greater Saviour!  Let us remember that even a spark of faith, given by God to us is enough to carry us through conflict.

Let us “treasure the last degree of grace”, let us “see the flame in the spark, a tree in the seed”, and let us do so with a grateful heart.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. (I Cor. 15:57)

Sibbes continues to encourage Christians, through this last chapter, to live by faith, rejoicing, taking hold of the faith that has been given to us. Even when we may fail, Sibbes, encourages us not to lose our faith, because we have Christ.

His final  exhortation goes not so much to individuals but to the Church; Christ reigns over His Church and will bring to His Church those whom He has called. Let us rejoice!

I close this chapter review citing Richard Sibbes,

“Let us then bring our hearts to holy resolutions and set ourselves upon that which is good, and against that which is  ill, in ourselves or others, according to our callings, with this encouragement, that Christ’s grace and power will go along us…The very belief that faith shall be victorious is a means to make it so indeed. Believe it, therefore, that, though it is often as smoking flax, yet it shall prevail.”

Amen.

If you love J.C Ryle, you may want to know that 110 years ago today, 
this great man passed away, and to read a super interesting article 
about it click here.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 7:59 AM and is filed under Read This with tags Books, Devotions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.