Understand the Bible

Maybe you’ve asked questions recently about power and authority. In a world where everything seems to be going wrong, who is in charge? Who holds the power? And what does that look like? In this passage we see that true power and authority doesn’t look like what the world thinks it does. In God’s world, true power and authority looks very different — which is something we should embody as Christians.Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. This chapter is about how we need to get to know God better so we can have a right understanding of his majesty.Topics covered in this chapter:* How we should consider the excellence and majesty of God* How it is that we do not know God as we should or could* How our knowledge of God should lead us to humilityFind out more about my book, Confused by Grace.You can download a copy of John Owen’s book (for free) from this website. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

How much difference is it possible for one person to make? We tend to think that only a few, exceptional, people can really make a difference. But this passage teaches us that anyone can make a difference, even to the point of changing the course of a war. What does it mean for us today?Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. This chapter is about how we can use the Law to help us grow in understanding our own guilt and need for God to help us.Topics covered in this chapter:* Why Christians do not outgrow the Law. The Law helps us to understand the depths of our own guilt* How the grace of God should teach us to say ‘no’ to sin* The grace of longing for deliverance from the power of sin.Find out more about my book, Confused by Grace.You can download a copy of John Owen’s book (for free) from this website. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

‘Actions have consequences’ — words which are often said to children. But it applies to adults as well: things we do wrong will affect us — both in terms of natural consequences, and possible punishment. When it comes to God, both of these things are true. We need to learn to repent and to live by faith in God rather than fear.Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. This chapter is about the importance and even need of cultivating a true sense of the guilt of sin.Topics covered in this chapter:* How we can cultivate a right sense of the guilt for sin and how that helps us as Christians;* The dangers of not feeling guilty, including being hardened against God; correction in this life; loss of peace and strength; and eternal destruction.* The evil there is in sin, including grieving the Spirit and taking away our usefulness to God.You can download a copy of the book (for free) from this website.Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

When we are in times of trouble or difficulty, who do we turn to for help? Maybe we trust in friends and family, or money, or the government to save us. This passage helps us to understand that, when it comes to God, we need to get our priorities right. At the end of the day, only he can save us. What does that mean for how we live?Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. This chapter is all about the symptoms of particular sins and how to deal with them. In my opinion, if there is one message God wants the church to hear right now, it is within this chapter.Topics covered in this chapter:* The problem of specific long-standing sins* When we become comfortable with sins* Grace must be true grace, not the cheap grace we bestow upon ourselves* Why we are enticed by sin* The weakness of the Law to deal with these kind of sinsYou can download a copy of the book (for free) from this website.Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Do the ends justify the means? If something good as achieved, does it matter how it is accomplished? In this passage, we see once again a nuanced and complex picture of Saul: he may have been what the people asked for, and he may have even given the people victory — but was it really a victory? Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. In this chapter we think about how we must take an ‘all or nothing’ approach to mortifying sin. Topics covered in this chapter: * We cannot be selective about the sins we choose to mortify. We must recognise that every sin is offensive to God.* Selective mortification is self-focussed.* If God chooses to allow our sins to continue, it may be because God is using the trouble to help us grow and teach us.You can download a copy of the book (for free) from this website.Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Have you ever wanted something so badly, then got it, and found out that you didn’t want it after all? We need to be careful with what we want — because sometimes it will turn out that it will be bad for us in the end. In this passage we see God giving the Israelites what they want — but perhaps it won’t be a good thing…Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

One of the constant temptations we face is to do things according to the world’s ways, human power and wisdom. In this passage we see why it is so important to do the Lord’s work in the Lord’s way: ultimately, authority comes from the Lord and real change will only happen when we know and serve him. Godly leaders are totally different to worldly leaders.Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. In this chapter we start to think about how sin can be mortified, and we discover that it is something which can only be done by faith in Christ. Topics covered in this chapter: * Non-Christians cannot truly mortify sin* Sin can only be mortified by faith, in the power of the Holy Spirit* There is real danger in attempting to mortify sin apart from faith* How we need to beware of counterfeit attempts to ease our consciences from sin - e.g. ritualism and formalism in religion.You can download a copy of the book (for free) from this website.Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Do you have trouble ‘fitting in’ as a Christian? In this passage we see what it means to be different from the world around us. What does it mean for God to be our king, and how should we as Christians live?Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. In this chapter we consider what mortification actually IS, rather than what it isn’t (as in the last chapter). Topics covered in this chapter: * What it means to mortify sin (to put it to death);* The need to habitually weaken sin not just at its source but its root;* How people can experience this differently;* We should be continually fighting and what that looks like;* Success against sin.You can download a copy of the book (for free) from this website. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

One of the most popular Christian songs of recent years has a line about God ‘roaring with power’ and ‘fighting our battles’. But does God really fight our battles? If God fought for Israel, why did they lose to the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4? In this passage we see what changed for the Israelites, and what that has to teach us about how God does (and does not) fight our battles.Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. In this chapter we look at what mortifying a sin is NOT, before going to look at what it is. This chapter is important to the modern church because many counterfeits of mortification exist which look like the real thing but are substitutes. Topics covered in this chapter: * What mortification of sin is NOT. In particular:* it is not destroying sin in this life;* it is not disguising sin;* it is not improving our natural disposition;* it is not diverting sin elsewhere;* it is not an occasional conquest.You can download a copy of the book (for free) from this website. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Ancient churches and cathedrals give a sense of the awesome majesty and splendour and holiness of God. By contrast, modern church buildings are often much more functional and lack that sense of awe. Perhaps this is simply a reflection of the modern church. In this sermon we look at the holiness of God, and see what it means for how we should relate to him.Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. The fourth chapter covers the benefits of mortification — why it is that we should be concerned about it. Topics covered in this chapter: * Power and peace are closely connected with the mortification of sin; * By contrast, sin will weaken and darken our souls and cause us to lose peace; * Graces will be enriched by the mortification of sin. You can download a copy of the book (for free) from this website.Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe

Many people have noticed that things in the world seem to be getting worse: it seems to me even that the darkness looks like it’s winning at the moment. How should we as Christians respond? This passage teaches us that the Lord is a warrior, and that he is able to fight with weapons beyond the reach of human beings. If we want to see victory, we need to seek his will and direction.Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbible.substack.com/subscribe