Prayer Meeting 5/11/2024

Overcoming Weak Grace – Part 1

(William Bridge)

Watch the Full Sermon HERE.

I thought I had brought a teaching from William Bridge but based on notes I haven’t. So tonight, let me first introduce you to the puritan William Bridge.

Bridge was born in Cambridge, 1600. He went to my favourite college, Emanual College Cambridge. Others who attended this college of course included Jerimiah Burroughs, whom Bridge co-pastored with for a time (what a force that must have been), also Thomas Brooks.

He preached in Great Yarmouth. Of course, like most puritans he was ejected for non-conformity, and in time he went to live in Rotterdam, Holland for a period and then returned to Yarmouth where he pastored again.

He was known to be a brilliant preacher and prolific writer. He would rise every day at 4am and spend hours confessing his sins before searching scripture up to 17 hours a day. Yet he was a pastor who could relate to the people. His church was apparently full by 7am in morning waiting for him to come and preach. He died in 1670/ 1671 - the Banner of Truth have published a full five volumes of his work.

Tonight I’m going to share from his work which is in volume two of his work, called ‘A Lifting Up For The Downcast’. This is also a puritan paperback book (the small books we often see and have, from the Banner of Truth). In this work, Bridge has 13 sermons on the subject. Which he shared in 1648 while preaching in Stepney, London.

Bridge is predominately dealing with discouragement and its causes and remedies in the sermons, which cover well over 200 pages.

Coming from a man who studied for years at Cambridge, and pastored with Jeremiah Burroughs, and also studied up to 17 hours a day, and awoke at 4am each day to repent - you can, I’m sure, know this man truly is a man who knows the human condition, and a man who knows how God’s Word can remedy any weakness, and failing and discouragement.

In the sermons he draws from the base text from:

Psalm 42:11

Why are you cast down, o my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise him, the help of my countenance and my God.

The words of David as he wrestles with discouragement and negativity and fear, yet in that, whom he looks to and seeks.

Tonight, and into next time, I’m going to share from one sermon from Bridge. It is something I’ve been reading over the last few weeks, just prior to our last teaching by Hugh Binning on ‘Christian Love’.

I had been drawn by the title, which I knew of, as it’s a quite a well-known puritan teaching that has been much loved. I’m saying its well-known; it is if you follow the puritans.

Tonight I’m going to share from sermon 5. This one Bridge calls ‘A Lifting Up In Case Of Weak Grace’. All but 3 of his 13 sermons start with ‘A Lifting Up.’

‘A Lifting Up In A Case Of Great Sin’

‘A Lifting Up In A Case Of Discouragement’

Etc.

However, the one I will share on is ‘A Lifting Up In Case Of Weak Grace’, as it’s the one that truly captured me, and I think is so profoundly helpful and insightful into the soul of man.

Before I start working through it with you, let me read our puritan prayer. One that is apt for the subject matter. It is from page 284 (158 of the paperback) of ‘The Valley Of Vision’, entitled ‘Privileges’.

O Lord God, Teach me to know that grace precedes, accompanies, and follows my salvation, that it sustains the redeemed soul, that not one link of its chain can ever break. From Calvary's cross wave upon wave of grace reaches me, deals with my sin, washes me clean, renews my heart, strengthens my will, draws out my affection, kindles a flame in my soul, rules throughout my inner man, consecrates my every thought, word, work, teaches me thy immeasurable love. How great are my privileges in Christ Jesus! Without him I stand far off, a stranger, an outcast; in him I draw near and touch his kingly sceptre. Without him I dare not lift up my guilty eyes; in him I gaze upon my Father-God and Friend. Without him I hide my lips in trembling shame; in him I open my mouth in petition and praise. Without him all is wrath and consuming fire; in him is all love, and the repose of my soul. Without him is gaping hell below me, and eternal anguish; in him its gates are barred to me by his precious blood. Without him darkness spreads its horrors in front, in him an eternity of glory is my boundless horizon. Without him all within me is terror and dismay, in him every accusation is charmed into joy and peace. Without him all things external call for my condemnation; in him they minister to my comfort, and are to be enjoyed with thanksgiving. Praise be to thee for grace, and for the unspeakable gift of Jesus. 

Okay, let me read the verse again, as the first part Bridge is referring to in this sermon:

Psalm 42:11a

Why are you cast down, o my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?

The ESV reads:

Why are you cast down, o my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?

That ‘disquieted’, is the opposite of being at peace and still. In Hebrew its ‘Hawmaw’. Which means ‘internal wrestling’, ‘loudness of our soul.’

We all know that voice inside that won’t shut up, or rest when we are not at peace, when our soul is troubled.

Some are in an almost constant loud internal battle. Where there is a constant murmuring and roar within, it a constant ‘Hawmaw’ inside. For others its less the case.

The verse starts with ‘why are you cast down’, as David wrestles with his condition. This depicting him on his knees, bowed down, no momentum.

Hebrew: shakahh - Like ‘defeated’.

Coupled with inside your soul you are untamed and can’t stop your mind from talking.

Well Bridge calls this a result of ‘weak grace’. What does that mean? Well lets delve in.

Bridge starts by saying, and I will paraphrase: ‘discouragement arises within a believer due to a weakness in their graces.’

I think Bridge is referring to a weakness in our faith and in our assurance. It’s also an immaturity.

Bridge writes, while describing one who has weak grace and how they speak:

Oh I’m just a weak feeble babe in Christ, some are strong.

He adds:

….hence I have just cause for being discouraged.

‘It’s not my fault…’ - Do you have just cause as a believer to be discouraged?

Bridge says: ‘No you don’t’

He says:

God is able to make all grace bound towards you.

Bridge defends against the no and the excuse by writing:

True saving grace is the best wisdom, every godly man is a wise man, even though he be weak in grace, yet he has true wisdom.

That’s a very profound statement. Let me open it up somewhat.

No matter how weak we are, how much our flesh flares up, how much you think you can't stop the negativity - the truth is yes you can. You have wisdom beyond your weakness. You have the Word, the truth beyond your feelings.

Bridge says:

Why complain when we have this wisdom?

In other words, there is no reason to think you have less onboard to beat your soul’s turmoil. You may be weak, but you still have the same tools and wisdom.

Of course, the weaker we are, as Bridge points out: ‘the more apt we are to fall’.

But he then says:

Not only more apt to fall but more apt and ready to fall again.

That’s important, don’t miss that.

If you are weak and keep succumbing to your weakness, and ignore the wisdom you have in spite of your weakness, you are ‘ready’ (listen to that word) ‘ready’ to fall again.

Why? Well Bridge says this, because:

They are more easily quenched by comforts, than a strong Christian is.

In other words, not that you need them, as that is very clear: Our flesh is much more easily comforted. We find somehow some warped fulfilment in carnal things. And it feeds some too easily, that when they try to be strong and get up, they are so easily put down again due to being easily fed by things way less nourishing than God’s wisdom and that of the Word.

Bridge then says a ‘wall statement’:

A strong Christian will improve that for himself which seems to be against him. A weak Christian will improve that against him, which is in truth for him.

Okay, again I don’t believe I can say it better. But he was speaking to his congregation 400 years ago. I’m speaking to one today whom I know.

So, what he is saying is that for a strong Christian, worldly carnal comforts will guide him away from wanting them, and drive him towards a greater way of feeding his soul.

A weak Christian will keep seeking what brings comfort to the flesh in order to stop feeling bad and to gain carnal comfort.

So basically working hard to gain things that cause them to become even weaker.

Hence Bridge saying: …a weak Christian will improve that against him.

He will work on, and pursue things, and try to gain more carnal comfort, even though that’s not improving them, or their faith, or strengthening them but weakening them.

Bridge gives the example of the woman of Canaan, in Matthew 15 where she contests for the healing of her daughter, ‘even the little dogs receiving crumbs from the table’.

Bridge says:

She improved that for herself which seemed against her.

When we have weak grace, we use what’s going wrong to further do things that bring more wrong. It’s like the weakness feeds into more weakness, and instead of using it to strengthen us in the Lord, the weakness pursues the negatives.

Another good example would be Jephthah in the book of Judges.

Judges 11:1-11

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “you shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him. It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made war against Israel. And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. Then they said to Jephthah, “come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.” So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “that is why we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “if you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them to me, shall I be your head?” And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “the Lord will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words.” Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord in mizpah.

Jephthah never allowed the negatives to take him to a negative place, but more because he never lost his value, he never stopped seeing others’ value either.

Jephthah was a man of strong grace. Israel was under oppression for 18 years and Jephthah brought them into freedom because he himself was a free man who never went to a bad place when things were said or done.

Hence Bridge says:

A strong Christian is helpful to others as they are able to bear the iniquities of the weak.

Who is a greater example of this than our Lord Jesus Christ? Who could bear such weakness around Him.

Whereas Bridge says:

The weak Christian is apt to be offended by others, and so make burdens for others to bear. But a strong Christian is a bearing Christian.

But as we bring this in, it’s very important to know, as Bridge informs the listener and reader, that:

Yet there is no reason why a weak Christian should be discouraged.

Just as I said at the start, that we have the wisdom of God even when weak, a true believer also has the mercy of God in their weakness.

Bridge says, and then quotes Psalm 6:2

For weakness doth not exclude from mercy, but inclines God unto mercy.

Psalm 6:2

            Have mercy on me o Lord, for I am weak.

Bridge then wonderfully says:

If you have truth of grace, (meaning if you’re truly saved), you have as great a share of interest in righteousness of justification, as the strong Christian. You have as much of Christ imputed to you, as any other.

Okay I will close.

Bridge then, in page seven and eight or so from his 15 page sermon, then shares examples from scripture where those who are weak still received the same help and guidance, and love and blessing.

First he gives the example of the ruler in Matthew 9 whose daughter had died, and he asks Jesus to come and touch her, vs the centurion in the previous chapter of Matthew asking Him to heal his servant.

Jesus says to the centurion “I will come”. Yet if you remember, the centurion says ‘no its okay, you’re busy, just say the word’. Jesus commends the man’s faith. Whereas, on the other hand he still goes and brings the man’s daughter back to life in the other passage.

He rebuked the disciples who were fearful during the storm, but he still calmed the storm.

He rebuked Peter for sinking while walking on water, yet he still stopped him from drowning and put him back in the boat.

I close with Bridge when he therefore says:

When our saviour speaks after this manner to them, “why do ye doubt? Why are you faithless?” He does so not only to reprove their doubting and discouragement, but to show there is no reason to do so.

He adds this which is profound, and I hope brings much comfort to some.

            Ye must know that there is a difference between uncomfortableness and less comfort.

You may be weaker in grace, and feel continually uncomfortable as a result, and you may even see others who may not even be saved who seem more content, but know this, you are no less comforted, you are no less adopted into the kingdom. You still have all of Christ.

Amen.