"We have found the Christ"

[Ryle on John 1:35-42]
The first blow in that mighty work by which Peter was made a pillar of the Church, was struck by Andrew's words, "We have found the Christ." Well would it be for the Church of Christ, if all believers were more like Andrew! Well would it be for souls if all men and women who have been converted themselves, would speak to their friends and relatives on spiritual subjects, and tell them what they have found! How much good might be done! How many might be led to Jesus, who now live and die in unbelief! The work of testifying the Gospel of the grace of God ought not to be left to ministers alone. All who have received mercy ought to find a tongue, and declare what God has done for their souls...

Let us take heed that we are among those who really follow Christ and abide with Him. It is not enough to hear Him preached from the pulpit, and to read of Him as described in books. We must actually follow Him, pour our hearts before Him, and hold personal communion with Him. Then, and not till then, we shall feel constrained to speak of Him to others. The man who only knows Christ by the hearing of the ear, will never do much for the spread of Christ's cause in the earth.

Ryle, J. C. Expository Thoughts on the Gospels. Vol. 3. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1990. 70-71. Print.

Faith

Faith the grain of mustard seed develops into faith that moves the mountain;
faith the child increases into faith the giant.
May we know by experience how true this is.

 - Charles Haddon Spurgeon, from a sermon entitled "Faith And Its Attendant Privilege."

Let us learn to live the life of faith in Jesus more than we have up to this point.

Ever to be found by the fountain side—

ever to be eating Christ’s body by faith, and drinking Christ’s blood by faith—

ever to have before our minds Christ’s dying for our sins—

Christ’s rising again for our justification—

Christ interceding for us at God’s right hand—

Christ soon coming again to gather us to Himself— this is the mark which we should have continually before our eyes. 

We may fall short—but let us aim high. 

Let us walk in the full light of the Sun of righteousness, and then our graces will grow. 

Let us not be like trees on a cold north wall—weak, half-starved, and unfruitful. 

Let us rather strive to be like the sunflower—and follow the great Fountain of Light wherever He goes, and see Him with open face. Oh, for an eye more quick to discern His dealings! Oh, for an ear more ready to hear His voice!

- J.C. Ryle, Old Paths, “Forgiveness”, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1999], 209
 Ever Growing in Our Walk With Christ

Heart

The Things That Please God

God approves and honors heart-religion in the present life. He looks down from Heaven, and reads the hearts of all people. Wherever He sees . . . heart-repentance for sin, heart-faith in Christ, heart-holiness of life, heart-love to His Son, His law, His will, and His word . . . wherever God sees these things, He is well pleased.

 -J.C. Ryle, Tract: Formal Religion

Fear

Excerpt from "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan

Christian explained, "True or right fear can be known by three things. First, by what causes it: the right kind of fear is caused by saving conviction of sin. Secondly, a good fear drives the soul to quickly lay hold of Christ for salvation. And thirdly, this fear begins and sustains in the soul a great reverence for God,  His Word, and His ways. It keeps the soul tender, making it afraid to turn right or left from His Word and ways. It makes the soul sensitive to anything that might dishonor God, grieve the Spirit, or cause the enemy to speak against God."

Prayer

Do Not Be a Prayerless Christian!

If Jesus is to save you, you must pray. If your sins are to be forgiven, you must pray.

If the Spirit is to dwell in your heart, you must pray.
If you are to have strength against sin, you must pray.
If you are to dwell with God in heaven, your heart must talk with God upon earth by prayer.

Oh! do not be a prayerless Christian, whatever others may think right. Begin to pray this day if you never prayed before. Remember if you and I are to meet each other with joy at Christ’s appearing, you must pray.

- J.C. Ryle, Tract: I Have Something to Say unto You

Articulating Your Prayers

Let us pray more, and let us pray more earnestly. Let those who never prayed begin to pray. Let those who have prayed pray better.

Pray for yourselves — that you may know the Lord Jesus, and cleave to Him — that you may be kept from falling — that you may serve your generation — that you may be sober in prosperity, patient in trial, and humble at all times.

Pray for the congregation to which you belong — that the word of the Lord may have free course in it, and be glorified — that the household of faith may become stronger and stronger, and the household of unbelief weaker and weaker.

Pray for your country — that her ministers may preach the Gospel, and be sound in the faith — that her rulers may value the Bible, and govern according to it — and that so her candlestick may not be taken away.

And pray for your minister — that he may be strong to work, and willing to labor for your good, that all his sicknesses may be sanctified, and all his health given to the Lord — that he may be ever taught of the Spirit, and thus be able to teach others — that he may be kept faithful unto death, and so be ready to depart when he is called.

Let us all pray, one for the other — I for you, and you for me — and we shall be blessed in our deed!

- J.C. Ryle, Tract: Consider Your Ways

Desire in Prayer

You have seen a dog after a long run; how he stands with opened mouth panting for life and breath. Oh, that we had desires after God and divine things strong enough to make us thus open our mouth and pant! We may never have seen a stag in extremis, but I dare say David had. He had seen it in the fierce hunt, when it longed to have its smoking sides in the water brooks and to drink long draughts, and he said, “As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”

Nothing puts such energy into prayer as intense anguish of desire. Desire comes out of a sense of want; and in proportion as the necessity is overwhelming, the fervency of the desire will be vehement. My brethren, we have not, because, although we ask, we use a kind of asking which is as though we asked not.

An old Puritan says, “He that prays to God without fervor asks to be denied.” There is a way of asking for a thing in which the person to whom the request is made finds it very easy to decline the request, but persons in dire necessity understand how to put the case, so that only a very hard-hearted person could say “no.” They know how to place their petition in such a way that the request wins, not merely because of the rightness of the petition, but also because of the very style in which it is put. We must learn how to pray with strong crying and tears, for there are mercies which cannot be gained by any other mode of supplicating.

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, from a sermon entitled "Opening The Mouth"

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. -Isaiah 54:10

(Owen) "We are crucified with him..."

"We are crucified with him meritoriously, in that he procured the Spirit for us to mortify sin; efficiently, in that from his death virtue comes forth for our crucifying; in the way of a representation and exemplar we shall assuredly be crucified unto sin, as he was for our sin. This is that [which] the apostle intends: Christ by his death destroying the works of the devil, procuring the Spirit for us, has so killed sin as to its reign in believers, that it shall not obtain its end and dominion."

"Let faith look on Christ in the gospel as he is set forth dying and crucified for us. Look on him under the weight of our sins, praying, bleeding, dying; bring him in that condition into your heart by faith; apply his blood so shed to your corruptions."

So the Spirit may convict...
"...the first thing that the Spirit does in order to the mortification of any lust whatsoever--it convinces the soul of all the evil of it, cuts off all its pleas, discovers all its deceits, stops all its evasions, answers its pretenses, make the soul own its abomination and lie down under the sense of it. Unless this be done all that follows in in vain.

The Spirit alone reveals unto us the fullness of Christ for our relief;
The Spirit alone brings the cross of Christ into our hearts with its sin-killing power;
The Spirit is the author and finisher of our sanctification;
In all the soul's addresses to God in this condition, it has support from the Spirit."
Owen, John, Kelly M. Kapic, and Justin Taylor. Overcoming Sin & Temptation. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006. 137-38. Print.