The Works Volume 4 by Richard Sibbes (Available from Amazon or free here) - Continue 'The church's riches' by reading up to the paragraph beginning 'The next thing is the ground or spring from whence all this comes: it is from grace.'
Today we continue the tract entitled 'The church's riches' which is an exposition of 2 Corinthians 8:9 'For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.'
Last week we saw Sibbes' first two doctrines from the verse.
This week Sibbes teaches us his third doctrine which concerns the parties for whom Christ became poor - it was 'for your sakes'. We see Christ has made us rich by:
(i) paying our debt;
(ii) investing us into his riches.
Sibbes then gives us some applications of his third doctrine, namely;
(i) we see here that a Christian's estate is carried under contraries as Christ was;
(ii) we see here is a matter not only for us men, but for the angels of heaven to admire and wonder at the depth of goodness and mercy in Christ;
(iii) if the poverty of Christ made us rich, what will his riches do?;
(iv) let us despise no man for his poverty.
Sibbes says: 'Could he save us when he was at the lowest, when he was on the cross, and satisfied divine justice by his death ; what can he do for us now he is in heaven, and hath triumphed over all his enemies ? What can we look for now by his riches, that have so much by his poverty ? Therefore we may reason with the apostle, Rom. v. 10, ' If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, how much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life ?' It is a strong argument, not only as it hath respect to us (because there is more likelihood that any good should be done for us now when we are reconciled to God, than before when we were enemies) ; but also as it hath respect to Christ ; since he that stuck not to reconcile us to God by his death, cannot be unwilling to save us by his life ; and he that was able to redeem us by dying for us, is more clearly and evidently powerful to save us, now he lives and reigns triumphantly in heaven. For is not he able to preserve us, to protect us, and invest us into the glory that he hath purchased for us ? He that did so much for us in the time of his abasement, will he not preserve the riches he hath gotten for us ? Is he not in heaven in majesty, to apply all that he hath gotten ? Is he not our intercessor at the right hand of God, to appear before God for us to make all good ? Certainly he will preserve that which he hath procured by his death.'
We are rich indeed! Sadly we'd rather not believe it.
Next week's reading
Conclude 'The church's riches'.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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