John Owen and MP3 Sermons

Listen to mp3 sermons. You will be rewarded. So many blessed teachers are available online for free it would be a shame not to sit under their preaching. Recently I recommended Piper’s biographical message on John Paton. This would be a great way to start. As I was reading through John Owen on Indwelling Sin this morning I thought the 17th century Puritan could give us some advice on listening to mp3 sermons. The help came from chapter nine of his treatise where he offers prayer and meditation as primary ways of fighting indwelling sin.

1) Don’t expect your flesh to leap with joy. “There is an aversion, as hath been declared, in the law of sin (indwelling sin) unto the immediate communion with God.” Would you rather listen to Coldplay or Sinclair Ferguson while you exercise? Sure one may pump you up, but which one will leave you with fuel for long meditation bearing joy?

2) What you lack in duration make up for in frequency. “Some are discouraged because their minds do not regularly supply them with thoughts to carry on their meditations, through the weakness or imperfections of their own inventions. Let this be supplied by frequent returns of the mind unto the subject proposed to be meditated upon, whereby new senses will still be supplied unto it.” I rarely listen to a sermon in one sitting. Mostly I listen in the mornings for approximately fifteen minutes while I take care of the dogs and eat breakfast. I listen while I do chores, walk the dogs, and work outside. All are short, stolen, precious moments.

3) Worship. This is my favorite line from the chapter:

Meditate of God with God; that is, when we would undertake thoughts and meditations of God, his excellencies, his properties, his glory, his majesty, his love, his goodness, let it be done in a way of speaking unto God, in a deep humiliation and abasement of our souls before him. This will fix the mind, and draw it forth from one thing to another, to give glory unto God in a due manner, and affect the soul until it be brought into that holy admiration of God and delight in him which is acceptable unto him. My meaning is, that it be done in a way of prayer and praise,-speaking unto God.

Begin your listening with a prayer. Pray that worship happen in your mind and heart. Pray that you have discernment to take in only what is scriptural. Pray that you have humility to learn and repent. Don’t just listen to the sermon; listen to the sermon fellowshipping with God.

Recommendations (iTunes links):

Students and adults:
John Piper
Matt Chandler
Mark Driscoll
Don’t Waste Your Life

Adults:
Sinclair Ferguson
Allister Begg
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones