We arrive at last to the final chapter of Owen's treatise on mortifying sin. Here Owen explains that while the previous nine directions have largely focused upon preparing ourselves to mortify sin, he now speaks to "the work itself" (145). In our present edition of study, only one direction is distinguished here; Richard Rushing in …
Behold, I long for your precepts;in your righteousness give me life! Psalm 119:40 ESV To conclude the He stanza, the psalmist cries out to the LORD, behold, I long for your precepts. This is no new idea to Psalm 119. In verse 20, he declared, “My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at …
Continue reading Behold, I Long for Your Precepts | Psalm 119:40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j0llI3SOuc&list=PLpjdHYmZ6tSRJS2ATXIsDMpYtrY0WUXyS&index=16 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But …
Continue reading The Parable of the Growing Seed | Mark 4:26-29
Turn away the reproach that I dread,for your rules are good. Psalm 119:39 ESV After praying to behold the confirmation of God’s promise with the Scriptures, the psalmist now prays for the LORD to turn away the reproach that I dread. The most natural question to ask is: What kind of reproach does he dread? …
Continue reading Turn Away the Reproach That I Dread | Psalm 119:39
We come now to the penultimate chapter of John Owen’s classic, The Mortification of Sin. In this chapter Owen concludes his nine directions for making ourselves ready to mortify sin. Next week, he will conclude the book with two final directions for killing our sin before it kills us. The 9th Direction and subject of …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCJMNW-_yOw&list=PLpjdHYmZ6tSRJS2ATXIsDMpYtrY0WUXyS&index=15 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he …
Continue reading The Parables of the Lamp & the Measure | Mark 4:21-25
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,but the LORD weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2 ESV As this verse states, self-justification comes all too easy. For example, I immediately condemn the driver who cuts me off, but whenever I cut someone off, then it is justified as being either an accident or …
Here in chapter 12, Owen presents us with his 8th Direction for mortifying sin, which is to “use and exercise thyself to such meditations as may serve to fill thee at all times with self-abasement, and thoughts of thine own vileness” (119). This is to build up within us a hatred against the sin that …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5OSnPtfpSQ&list=PLpjdHYmZ6tSRJS2ATXIsDMpYtrY0WUXyS&index=14 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And …
It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,but every fool will be quarreling. Proverbs 20:3 ESV Although all of Proverbs applies to all ages of humanity, this verse feels particularly relevant today. With advent of the Internet and especially social media, it sometimes seems as though life has become one massive …
