We’re looking forward to hearing from speakers, G.K. Beale and Carl Trueman at Clarus ’11 from April 29-May 1. This video will introduce you to Clarus, this year’s theme and these able speakers.

More information and for tickets, visit the Clarus site.

In the course of Sunday’s sermon, Dying to Live, Ryan quoted several main points from John Owen’s The Mortification of Sin to explain what Paul meant when he wrote, “put to death…what is earthly in you” (Colossians 3:5). If you’d like to read about John Owen and his importance, read Ryan’s helpful article, “Getting to Know Owen,” recently published at The Gospel Coalition’s Blog.

Below are some helpful quotes from The Mortification of Sin, with page numbers from Sin and Temptation, a compilation of three of Owen’s works on the subject edited by Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic.

• I hope I may own in sincerity that my heart’s desire unto God, and the chief design of my life in the station wherein the good providence of God has placed me, are that mortification and universal holiness may be promoted in my own and in the hearts and ways of others, to the glory of God; that so the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be adorned in all things. (42, Preface)
• Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self-righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world. (47)
• Sin does not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still laboring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion. (51)
• If sin be subtle, watchful, strong, and always at work in the business of killing our souls, and we be slothful, negligent, foolish, in proceeding to the ruin thereof, can we expect a comfortable event? There is not a day but sin foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on; and it will be so while we live in this world. (52)
• Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice, might it have its own course, it would go out to the utmost sin in that kind. Every unclean thought or glance would be adultery if it could; every covetous desire would be oppression, every thought of unbelief would be atheism, might it grow to its head. (53)
• Such outside endeavors, such bodily exercises, such self-performances, such merely legal duties, without the least mention of Christ or his Spirit, are varnished over with swelling words of vanity, for the only means and expedients for the mortification of sin, as discover a deep-rooted unacquaintedness with the power of God and mystery of the gospel. (59)
• Because those things that are appointed of God as means are not used by them in their due place and order—such as are praying, fasting, watching, meditation, and the like. These have their use in the business at hand; but whereas they are all to be looked on as streams, they look on them as the fountain. (59)
• He brings the cross of Christ into the heart of a sinner by faith, and gives us communion with Christ in his death and fellowship in his sufferings.(61)
• There is no man that truly sets himself to mortify any sin, but he aims at, intends, desires its utter destruction, that it should leave neither root nor fruit in the heart or life. He would so kill it that it should never move nor stir anymore, cry or call, seduce or tempt, to eternity. Its not-being is the thing aimed at. Now, though doubtless there may, by the Spirit and grace of Christ, a wonderful success and eminency of victory against any sin be attained, so that a man may have almost constant triumph over it, yet an utter killing and destruction of it, that it should not be, is not in this life to be expected. (69, 70)
• Let not such persons try their mortification by such things as their natural temper gives no life or vigor to. Let them bring themselves to self-denial, unbelief, envy, or some such spiritual sin, and they will have a better view of themselves. (70)
• He that changes pride for worldliness, sensuality for Pharisaism, vanity in himself to the con- tempt of others, let him not think that he has mortified the sin that he seems to have left. He has changed his master, but is a servant still. (71)
• Suffer not your heart one moment to be contented with your present frame and condition. (106)
• It is impossible to fix bounds to sin. It is like water in a channel—if it once break out, it will have its course. (110)
• Labor with this also to take down the pride of your heart. What do you know of God? How little a portion is it! How immense is he in his nature! Can you look without terror into the abyss of eternity? You cannot bear the rays of his glorious being. (111)
• Whoever speaks peace to himself upon any one account, and at the same time has another evil of no less importance lying upon his spirit, about which he has had no dealing with God, that man cries “Peace” when there is none. (125)
• Consider his mercifulness, tenderness, and kindness, as he is our great High Priest at the right hand of God. Assuredly he pities you in your distress; says he, “As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you” (Isa. 66:13). (134)
• …act faith peculiarly upon the death, blood, and cross of Christ; that is, on Christ as crucified and slain… He died to destroy the works of the devil [1 John 3:8]. Whatever came upon our natures by his first temptation, whatever receives strength in our persons by his daily suggestions, Christ died to destroy it all. (136)

In Sunday’s message, “Dying to Live,” Ryan preached from Colossians 3:5-11 to show us how gospel realities work to transform very specific sins. After Paul exhorts us to “put to death therefore what is earthly in [us]” (3:5), he tells us what that kinds of things he has in mind: “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness…anger, wrath, malice, sander, and obscene talk” (3:5-8).

During the course of his sermon, Ryan quoted from John Owen’s work, The Mortification of Sin, which was originally a series of sermons delivered to Oxford students in 1656. These sermons were an exposition of Paul’s words in Romans 8:13, when he gave a similar exhortation. There, Paul wrote, “if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Owen’s famous warning from this set of sermons is as memorable as it is serious: “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

What follows are some helpful notes compiled by Ryan from Owen’s work, some of which he read on Sunday:

The Need for Mortification

1. Sin is always active
2. We ought to make it our daily work
3. Only the Holy Spirit is sufficient for this work
4. Our life, health, and comfort depends much on this work

The Meaning of Mortification

1. What Mortification is Not: It is not the total and final the eradication of sin: It is not improvement. It is not mere avoidance. It is not occasional conquests.
2. What Mortification is: It is the habitual, ongoing weakening of sin. It is the constant warfare against sin. It consists of frequent successes.

General Principles for Mortifying Sin

1. You must set your faith on Christ
2. You must rely on the Holy Spirit
3. You must be truly converted
4. You must intend universal, not partial, obedience

The Means of Mortification (how)

1. Consider the dangerous consequences of the sin
2. Get a clear sense of the guilt, danger, and evil of that sin
3. Load your conscience with the guilt of that sin
4. Get a constant longing for deliverance from that sin
5. Consider whether that temptation is exacerbated by your temperament
6. Consider the advantages of preventing that sin
7. Rise mightily against the first step toward that sin
8. Meditate on your self-abasement and vileness in light of the majesty of God
9. Listen to what God says to your soul; do not speak peace until God does

The Basis for Mortification (the “general direction for mortification”)

1. Setting faith firmly on the cross-work of Christ
2. Putting full dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit

In their book, Overcoming Sin and Temptation, Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic have edited three of Owen’s works on the subject of sin and temptation, updating Owen’s Old English where necessary.

Last month, Dane Ortlund asked a group of pastors and biblical scholars to summarize the message of the Bible in one sentence and posted the answers at his blog. The purpose of this exercise, of course, was not to be comprehensive, but, as Dane wrote, “to refocus and recenter on the heart of the book that is the greatest earthly treasure to fallen human beings outside of God himself.”

Here’s what Dane collected from these faithful men:

Greg Beale: The OT storyline appears best to be summarized as: the historical story of God who progressively reestablishes his new creational kingdom out of chaos over a sinful people by his word and Spirit through promise, covenant, and redemption, resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to extend that new creation rule and resulting in judgment for the unfaithful (defeat and exile), all of which issues into his glory; the NT storyline can be summarized as: Jesus’ life of covenantal obedience, trials, judgmental death for sinners, and especially resurrection by the Spirit has launched the fulfillment of the eschatological already-and-not-yet promised new creation reign, bestowed by grace through faith and resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to extend this new creation rule and resulting in judgment for the unfaithful, unto God’s glory.

Dan Block: God was so covenantally committed to the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him may have eternal life!

Craig Blomberg: God is in the process of recreating the universe which has been corrupted by sin and has made it possible for all those and only those who follow Jesus to be a part of the magnificent, eternal community that will result.

Darrell Bock: The Bible tells how the loving Creator God restored a lost humanity and cosmos through reestablishing his rule through Jesus Christ and the provision of life to His honor.

Mark Dever: God has made promises to bring His people to Himself and He is fulfilling them all through Christ.

Kevin DeYoung: A holy God sends his righteous Son to die for unrighteous sinners so we can be holy and live happily with God forever.

Zack Eswine: Apprenticing with Jesus to become human again.

John Frame: God glorifies himself in the redemption of sinners.

Scott Hafemann: The Triune God is the beginning, middle, and end of everything, ‘for from him (as Creator) and through him (as Sustainer and Redeemer) and to him (as Judge) are all things’ (Rom 11:36).

David Helm: Jesus is the promised Savior-King.

Paul House: The movement in history from creation to new creation through the redemptive work of Father, Son, and Spirit who saves and changes corrupted people and places for his glory and their good.

Gordon Hugenberger: The message of the Bible in one sentence is that genuine truth, unlike every human philosophy, is far too luxuriant, too enthralling, too personal, too all-encompassing, too sovereign, and too life-changing to be reducible to one sentence (or, as Einstein once put it, the challenge is to ‘make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler’).

Kent Hughes: God is redeeming his creation by bringing it under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Andreas Kostenberger: ‘God so loved the world that the gave his one and only Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16).

Phil Long: God, who made us and everything else, loves us and gave himself for us that we might live forever with him as new creatures in a new creation—the news is good!

Sean Lucas: The message of the Bible is the transforming grace of God displayed preeminently in Jesus Christ.

Ray Ortlund: The Lover of our souls won’t let the romance die, but is rekindling it forever.

Grant Osborne: God created mankind in order to love them, but we all rejected his love, so God sent His Son to bear our sins on the cross in order that by believing in His sacrificial atonement, we might have life.

George Robertson: The Bible is the record of God’s promise of and deliverance through Jesus Christ.

Leland Ryken: The message of the Bible is twofold: to show how people can be saved from their sins through faith in Christ’s atonement AND how to live all of life as a follower of God.

Tom Schreiner: God reigns over all things for his glory, but we will only enjoy his saving reign in the new heavens and the new earth if we repent and believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the crucified and risen Lord and who gave himself on the cross for our salvation.

Mark Seifrid: Verbum caro factum est.

Jay Sklar: The first sentence that comes to mind is that of my colleague Michael D. Williams, who describes the Bible’s story about the world as follows: God made it, we broke it, Jesus fixes it!

Erik Thoennes: The main message of the Bible is that the one true God is displaying his glory primarily in redeeming and restoring his fallen creation by fulfilling his covenant promises and commands through the glorious person and atoning work of Christ.

Doug Wilson: Scripture tells us the story of how a Garden is transformed into a Garden City, but only after a dragon had turned that Garden into a howling wilderness, a haunt of owls and jackals, which lasted until an appointed warrior came to slay the dragon, giving up his life in the process, but with his blood effecting the transformation of the wilderness into the Garden City.

Bob Yarbrough: He—God in Christ—shall reign forever and ever; so today if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart but believing the good news take up your cross and follow Jesus.

Dane Ortlund is the Senior Editor in the Bible division at Crossway Books and writes daily at Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology.

In Sunday’s message, Malachi, Ron Giese expounded the book of Malachi, which serves as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments. Malachi speaks about a messenger to come named Elijah, whom God says “will prepare the way before me” (3:1; 4:5). Speaking about John the Baptist, Jesus said, “if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Matthew 11:14). In fulfillment of God’s promise through the book of Malachi, John boldly and humbly announced Jesus’ coming: “he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry” … “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Matthew 2:11; John 1:29).

Though we are not the promised messenger of the book of Malachi, we are “ambassadors for Christ,” witnessing to His glory in our time (2 Corinthians 5:20). Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we announce the same good news that John carried to the hearers of his day, albeit on this side of the resurrection of Christ.

To help equip the body for faithful ambassadorship in the world, DSC offers an Ambassador Training series each year. Traditionally, DSC’s Ambassador Training has been offered as a single course. Starting this Spring, it is offered in three parts. The first session, which begins this Sunday, March 6, focuses on the ambassador’s character. The subsequent classes, offered this Summer and next Fall, will focus on the ambassador’s knowledge and  wisdom. Here’s a brief description of the new format:

Ambassador 1 (Fall) – Knowledege: An Accurately Informed Mind.
An Ambassador (Messenger, Herald) has to know what to proclaim. He or she needs to know who and what it is that he represents. If we are to represent God, we must know Him as He is. This also means knowing the message of the sovereign, which is the gospel. What is the gospel and what isn’t the gospel?

Ambassador 2 (Winter) – Wisdom: A Discerning and Artful Approach.
An Ambassador (messenger, herald) has to know something about the delivery of the message. What is wisdom? What is it for? What is an unhealthy substitute for wisdom in our Christian culture? How can we wisely engage our friends and family and neighbors in conversation about our God and His message?

Ambassador 3 (Spring) – Character: A Faithful and Attractive Manner.
For the priests in Malachi, God’s messengers of the Old Testament – their message was being discredited because of their character. The character of God’s messenger is a big part of the book of Malachi.

The following three books will be recommended and referenced throughout the series and are available at the Resource Center beginning this Sunday:

• The Heart of Evangelism, Jerram Barrs
• The Marks of the Messenger: Knowing, Living and Spreading the Gospel, J. Mack Stiles
• Humility: True Greatness, C.J. Mahaney

As you may recall, in the opening of his sermon, Ron read the following quotation from Dorothy Sayers concerning England in 1949:

It is fatal to imagine that everybody knows quite well what Christianity is and needs only a little encouragement to practice it. The brutal fact is that in this Christian country not one person in a hundred has the faintest notion what the Church teaches about God or man or society or the person of Jesus Christ…Theologically this country is at present in a state of utter chaos established in the name of religious toleration and rapidly degenerating into flight from reason and the death of hope.

— Creed or Chaos? Why Christians Must Choose Either Dogma or Disaster

It is important to know the times in which we live. But we are of little effect in our ambassadorship if we neglect to know our God and His gospel. With God’s help, this three part Ambassador Training series will help us know both God and our times.

For more information about the Ambassador Training series or to sign up for the Spring session, email the Local Missions Team at local@desertspringschurch.org or contact the church office.