TEXT: Romans 8:13

SUBJECT: Mortification #6

Tonight brings us to chapter six in our study of John Owen's great book, The Mortification of Sin. Owen was a Puritan scholar and pastor who wrote this book to help believers overcome "remaining sin".

Last week, Owen told us what "mortification" is not. It is not:

That's what mortification is not. He now tells us what it is.

The key word, it seems to me, is "regular". Owen does not say "uninterrupted" as though any failure or weakness proves you're not mortifying your sins. Nor does he say "occasional" as though resisting sin "on Christmas and Easter" is good enough. It isn't. You needn't be perfect to combat sin, but you must be serious and disciplined. Mortification is a habit you've to get into. The best time to start a good habit is...now.

MORTIFICATION IS A REGULAR WEAKENING OF SIN.

Sin is like a man. If it gets plenty of food, rest, and exercise, it will become strong. If you withhold these things, however, it must grow weaker.

Take bitterness, for example. This is a terrible sin and very common. How is it fed? By dwelling on the wrongs others have done. How does it rest? By not confessing it. It is exercised with every ugly word or hateful thought.

Mortification is the opposite of this. It cuts off the food--refusing to dwell on how others have excluded you or mistreated you. It gives bitterness no rest--by confessing it to the Lord and apologizing to others. It is weakened--by self-denial, saying "No!" to gossip and "No!" to revenge.

John Owen compares this work to a crucifixion,

If only sin were mortified by guillotine! How quick it would be; how clean; how final! But it isn't. Sin is put to death on a cross; it dies a long, lingering, and painful death.

Mortification is the regular weakening of sin. But note carefully, it is the hidden sins that must be mortified--and not just the visible one. We can hear angry words, but something lies behind them. That "something" must be mortified--and not just the words it produces.

Owen says,

Mortification, then, is the sapping or draining of sin. And not just the sin others can see, but, chiefly, sin in the heart.

So, the question is: Are you weakening your sins? Or making provision for them? You know what you ought to be doing. May God give you the grace to do it.

A REGULAR FIGHTING AGAINST SIN

Sin is an enemy. A strong, stubborn enemy. If you do not mortify it, it will mortify you. Our fight against sin is not a game of touch football; it's a contest of gladiators. One must prevail, the other must die. Sin means business; do you? Do you fight sin as hard as it fights you? If you want to come out alive, you'd better.

What does it mean to "fight against sin"? John Owen says three things:

It means to know you have an enemy. The Puritan has it,

Many believers act as though sin and Satan are either unreal or pose no serious threat. Is that true? Paul didn't think so. He said, Ephesians 6:12.

I once saw a book called Hitler Warned Us. The author did little or no analysis. All he did was reprint some of the early speeches and writings of the Nazi dictator. They told the world precisely what he intended to do. But Europe did not take him seriously. And paid dearly for it.

The Bible tells us what sin and Satan plan to do. They plan to ruin our lives and to damn our souls. And they have the power to do it. So, why don't we take them more seriously? Why don't we realize--before it's too late--that we have real enemies? Who must be resisted.

To fight against sin also means to discover how it wins over you. Believers don't usually commit "new sins". No, we commit the same old sins over and over again.

This fact should give us insight into how these sins prevail. Take, for example, the sin of screaming at your children. What makes you do that? Maybe it is impatience. But why are you impatient? Maybe because you forget that children are not short adult, but children. Repent of this and you won't be so short-tempered. If you're not so impatient you won't scream so often.

Military leaders study tactics. They want to know where, when, and how the enemy will strike. May we do any less? The generals are fighting for temporary things--for nations, for influence, for money, for politics. Our fight is over matters eternal.

By studying the Bible and reviewing your own history, you can discover how sin gets the upper hand. And, with God's blessing, prevent it.

To fight against sin also means to take the initiative. Owen says,

What hurts sin? Prayer, for one thing. Reading the Bible for another. Meditation, fellowship, sermons, and so on. Attack the devil with these things! Don't let him rest and recoup while you do nothing. Be aggressive; be stubborn; be relentless. Take the fight to sin.

This is what it means to "fight against sin". To identify it, to study its ways, and to go on the offensive.

A REGULAR SUCCESS AGAINST IT

To mortify your sin means to have some success against it. Notice, I use the word, "some". In this life, there is no full victory over sin.

But there is success. Real, measurable success. We are succeeding against our sins when we recognize them more clearly, resist them more firmly, confess them more quickly, and receive forgiveness more gratefully.

This is what mortification is--Your sins are growing weaker, you're fighting them harder, and having success against them.

So, are you mortifying your sins? I know you're not doing it perfectly. But are you mortifying them? Remember the danger of not mortifying them--death. Recall the end of mortifying them--life. Remember the responsibility of mortifying them--yours. Seek the power for mortifying them--the Holy Spirit.

So, let's get busy mortifying our sins. And the love of God be with us. For Christ's sake. Amen.