John Owen - Devotion to Jesus Christ
2 Corinthians 11:3 - But I am afraid that as the
serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray
from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
The Apostle Paul challenges his spiritual daughters at Corinth to remain faithfully devoted to her engaged fiancé - the perfect bridegroom... the Lord Jesus Christ. He cautions that our adversary deceitfully works with one objective in mind: To lead believers astray from a sincere, single-minded, pure, and undiluted devotion to Jesus. Not only in ancient Corinth, but also in our day, the tragedy of Eden is always ominously close to reenactment.
One question that I have wrestled with a bit lately is: Why should we pursue a single-minded, pure devotion to Jesus Christ? Let’s listen in on a sermon delivered by John Owen to the House of Commons in England: Christ is the ‘Way’--men without Him are Cains, wanderers, vagabonds. His is the ‘Truth’--men without Him are completely deceived by the Father of lies, the devil of old. He is the ‘Life’--men without Him are dead in trespasses and sins. He is the ‘Light’--men without Him are in darkness, and do not know where they go. He is the ‘Vine’--men that are not in Him are like withered branches. He is the ‘Rock’--men not built on Him are carried away with a flood. He is the ‘Alpha and Omega,’ the first and the last, the author and the One that ends, the founder and finisher of our salvation--he that does not have Him has neither the beginning of good nor shall he have the end of misery. Oh, blessed Jesus, how much better it would be not to exist than to exist without You! Never to be born than not to die in You! A thousand hells is nothing compared to eternally wanting Jesus Christ. - John Owen, ‘Greatness of Christ’
No wonder Charles Wesley prayed: "Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind. Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness; False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace."
I would ask you to pray about two things: First of all,would you pray for the Lord to ignite in our hearts the same kind of devotion that the Apostle Paul, John Owen, and Charles Wesley had for our Lord? Secondly, would you ask the Lord to give you a burning zeal to make whatever sacrifices necessary to see this portion of His bride deeply loving Him? 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 sets forth all the ways that Paul put himself in great peril and suffered immensely to present the pure betrothed bride of the church to her beloved bridegroom. What type of sacrifices are you willing to make to ensure that Jesus’ bride remains faithfully devoted to Him alone?
The Apostle Paul challenges his spiritual daughters at Corinth to remain faithfully devoted to her engaged fiancé - the perfect bridegroom... the Lord Jesus Christ. He cautions that our adversary deceitfully works with one objective in mind: To lead believers astray from a sincere, single-minded, pure, and undiluted devotion to Jesus. Not only in ancient Corinth, but also in our day, the tragedy of Eden is always ominously close to reenactment.
One question that I have wrestled with a bit lately is: Why should we pursue a single-minded, pure devotion to Jesus Christ? Let’s listen in on a sermon delivered by John Owen to the House of Commons in England: Christ is the ‘Way’--men without Him are Cains, wanderers, vagabonds. His is the ‘Truth’--men without Him are completely deceived by the Father of lies, the devil of old. He is the ‘Life’--men without Him are dead in trespasses and sins. He is the ‘Light’--men without Him are in darkness, and do not know where they go. He is the ‘Vine’--men that are not in Him are like withered branches. He is the ‘Rock’--men not built on Him are carried away with a flood. He is the ‘Alpha and Omega,’ the first and the last, the author and the One that ends, the founder and finisher of our salvation--he that does not have Him has neither the beginning of good nor shall he have the end of misery. Oh, blessed Jesus, how much better it would be not to exist than to exist without You! Never to be born than not to die in You! A thousand hells is nothing compared to eternally wanting Jesus Christ. - John Owen, ‘Greatness of Christ’
No wonder Charles Wesley prayed: "Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind. Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness; False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace."
I would ask you to pray about two things: First of all,would you pray for the Lord to ignite in our hearts the same kind of devotion that the Apostle Paul, John Owen, and Charles Wesley had for our Lord? Secondly, would you ask the Lord to give you a burning zeal to make whatever sacrifices necessary to see this portion of His bride deeply loving Him? 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 sets forth all the ways that Paul put himself in great peril and suffered immensely to present the pure betrothed bride of the church to her beloved bridegroom. What type of sacrifices are you willing to make to ensure that Jesus’ bride remains faithfully devoted to Him alone?
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