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Messages by Desiring God

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Messages from the Teaching Team at Desiring God.

Messages by Desiring God

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The Spell That Opened Heaven: Funeral Message for Daniel Fuller (1925–2023)

Romans 8:32 is perhaps the greatest verse in the Bible. No other text quite describes how far God has gone for our salvation and will go for our joy.

The Final Hours of Suffering: Funeral Message for Nancy Nelson (1952–2023)

God’s word speaks to the mysteries of suffering. We will only bear pain well as we begin to see it like he does.

Why We Sing About the Blood

David Mathis | Why do Christians sing about blood? Because of what happened at the cross, the otherwise morbid topic becomes one of glory, thanks, and praise.

More Thrilling to Be Saved Than to Succeed

What excites a Christian most? Our deepest, truest joy does not flow from completed degrees or flourishing ministries, but from the God who saved us.

Happy Pastors Make Healthy Churches

Christ’s blood bought more than our pardon, precious as it is. His death also purchased the power we need to live a radical Christian life.

Why Bethlehem Has a College: Biblical Foundations for Church-Based Education

What makes a college distinctly Christian? Education is not an end in itself, but a means to knowing and loving Christ.

Hamilton: An American Prodigal

David Mathis | Neither biographers nor Broadway can ignore Alexander Hamilton’s late-flowering Christian faith. He, like the prodigal son, finally came home after his journey into the far country.

Not Dead Yet: Fighting Nine Fears of Old Age

As we age, fears can multiply like wrinkles. But for every concern, we have a blood-bought promise far, far older than our fears.

Press Afresh into Jesus: Four Truths About Genuine Faith

David Mathis | Genuine faith welcomes, enjoys, fears, strives after, and rests in God. And in doing so, genuine faith perseveres.

The Demons, the Fever, and the Word of the King

While on earth, Jesus spoke with unmatched power. Demons obeyed him, and fevers fled at his word. Everything was subject to him — then and now.

Do Outsiders Still Matter? An Overlooked Qualification for Pastors

David Mathis | For pastors to be “well thought of by outsiders” certainly isn’t everything, but it made God’s list of requirements. Is it still on ours?

The Story of the Greatest Coronation

David Mathis | When Christ ascended into heaven, an otherworldly ceremony commenced. Here was the long-awaited Son of David, the only man angels ever worshiped.

Danger Averted, Destiny Attained: Funeral Message for Lois Nelson (1919–2023)

John Piper | When a Christian goes home to be with the Lord, we who remain have the chance to rehearse God’s loving design in every believer’s death.

A World God Could Admire: Recovering His Pleasure in Creation

Marshall Segal | Do you ever stop, slow down, and marvel at something God has made? If we could see it all like he does, we’d see far more than we do.

What Will Man Be Like for Countless Future Ages?

When our hearts run dry, and our good works languish, the Bible bids us: “Consider the end.”

It Will Be Worth It: Overcoming Obstacles to World Missions

When it comes to missions, reasons abound to stay rather than to go. But for every apparent obstacle, countless promises say, “It will be worth it.”

Ordinary Elders, Part 2: Governing as Men Who Teach

David Mathis | Pastors are first and foremost teachers, but they are not only teachers. They feed the sheep and lead the sheep — and they lead by feeding.

Ordinary Elders, Part 1: Working for the Joy of Others

David Mathis | The pastors we all want are men who want to pastor, who want to see God move in them and through them for the joy of others.

Is Jesus an Egomaniac? Overcoming a Major Obstacle to Christian Faith

What do we call an obsessively self-centered person? An egomaniac. Then what should we call God, who demands all our praise? We call him gracious.

The Lord Governs My Good and Is My Good: All of Psalm 16 for a New Year

When we pray for God to preserve us, we ask that he would be not only our Lord, but our life — not only our God, but our highest and everlasting good.

Prince of What Peace? How Christmas Overcomes Our Conflicts

At the root of all conflict is man’s conflict with God. At Christmas, we celebrate that God took the initiative to establish true peace.

How Majestic Is Our Lord?

David Mathis | When speaking of God, we grope for fresh language to name the greatness of God. Might we learn to reach more often for the word “majesty”?

The Joy of the Puritans

The Puritans took joy seriously because they read the Bible carefully. They saw that delight in God is at the heart of all true obedience.

Ten Looks at Jesus, Part 2

David Mathis | “For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.” How happy might we be if we heeded Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s counsel?

Ten Looks at Jesus, Part 1

David Mathis | “For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.” How happy might we be if we heeded Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s famous counsel?

He Delighted to Crush His Son: The Pleasure of God in the Gospel

David Mathis | The Father not only planned for his Son to die, but was pleased to crush him. And for those in Christ, this can be as comforting as it is astonishing.

The Purposes of God in the Pain of the World

Before he created the earth, God knew pain would plague this world. And not only knew, but planned. And not only planned — but purposed.

How Can a Holy God Have Pleasure in Sinners?

You will not be perfect in this life, but you can be pleasing to God. You can become a real ingredient in the divine happiness.

God Made the World for Worship: His Glory in Individuals and Gatherings

John Piper | The individual soul’s affection for God is essential to the corporate, eternal reality of the worshiping church.

Secret Liturgies: The Private Worship of a Public Leader

David Mathis | Blessed is the leader who meditates on God’s law day and night — not just in public, but all the more in secret.

Fall Back to the Banner: Four Lessons for Our Devastations

David Mathis | When loss surrounds us, when fears assail us, we have a banner to which to flee. We turn to the God who has spoken, and there find real hope and strength.

Good Preaching Takes Hard Work

David Mathis | Good preachers carry many burdens before preaching, while preaching, and after preaching — and the rewards still outweigh the costs.

How Is Joy the Root of Sacrificial Love?

When glad in God, we bend low in love for others. We imitate Christ, who not only bowed the knee but hung his body on the tree.

God Can Handle Your Crisis

David Mathis | Psalm 46 teaches us God can handle the earth’s undoing and nations raging against his people — and that if he can do that, he can be a very present help in our trouble.

Water from the Rock for Undeserving People

God promises us his life-sustaining presence, even as he leads us into waterless regions of suffering and loss.

Seventy Years Without Shipwreck: Five Reasons That Some Fall Away

Faith does not shipwreck upon the rocks of history, logic, science, or ethics, but on the mountains of sinful desire.

The Uncommon Virtue of Humility

Humility flourishes in hearts that focus not on being humble, but on gladly exalting Jesus, who is superior to us in every possible way.

The Gospel in All Caps: Glorified Scars in the Body of Christ

David Mathis | We boast on Sunday because Christ died on Friday. No cross, no favor with God. No crucifixion, no resurrection. We live because he died.

What Is ‘Freedom in Christ’?

David Mathis | What is freedom in Christ? Freedom from trying to earn God’s acceptance, and freedom to know and enjoy God forever.

Christ Died to Make Us Holy: And Why Some Preachers Avoid It

There is a kind of unhealthy preaching that fails to make plain the effective connection between the sin-bearing work of Christ and the sin-killing work of the Christian.

We Rejoice to Suffer for You: Pastoral Pain and the People’s Joy

Why does the apostle Paul speak so much about himself and his suffering? Because his suffering for the sake of others makes the love of Christ tangible to them.

Brother Ass: Stewarding the Body as Christian Hedonists

David Mathis | Why would Christians exercise? Working and pushing these bodies, as God designed them, serves our learning, our joy, and our love.

Behind the Times: Survival in a Day of Suffocating News

David Mathis | What if, with some intentionality, the news could become a source of refreshment rather than a continual distraction and discouragement?

The Supremacy of Christ in Everything

The sovereign supremacy of Christ both keeps us from error and enables us to persevere through hardships with patience and joyful thankfulness.

‘The Joy of the Lord Is Your Stronghold’

Joy in God becomes our stronghold when we are awakened to see and savor him as our greatest joy.

Bible Reading Has Been My Life: Personal Reflections for Christian Fathers

What does Bible reading look like for John Piper? In this message to fathers, he tells personal stories and shares how he has weaved Bible reading into all of life.

How to Meet with God for a Lifetime

David Mathis | How do we meet with God in his word for a lifetime? Every morning, seek to gather a day’s portion.

Harnessing the Lightning: Tesla’s 3,000-Year Backstory

Tony Reinke | Is a lightning rod — and by extension, all other tech — an act of faith or an act of God-thwarting unbelief?

The Humbled Win the World

David Mathis | Before we step out to attempt big, ambitious things for Jesus, we need to prepare ourselves to receive and embrace the humbling that will inevitably come.

23 Tips from 23 Years of Book Reading

Tony Reinke | Many of us today love to swipe, scroll, and stare, but hardly read. Tony Reinke shares 23 tips for reading more and better in a digital age.

Prayer Vocalizes Our Abiding in Christ

Prayer says more than the words it speaks. The act of praying vocalizes a profound reality: God himself abides in us, and we abide in him.

Show Us Your Glory: Prayer That Sparks Reformation

David Mathis | Moses made an audacious request. God answered — but only in part. And what he revealed at Sinai pales in comparison to Calvary.

The Fearlessness of Christmas Joy: Six Wonders of Christ’s Lordship

The first Christmas brought good news. With it came fearless, great joy for all those who confess, “Jesus is Lord.”

The Global Glorification of the Merciful God

The church exists for missions — and because of missions. God plans for his people to come from the peoples, a promise he first made to Israel.

The Pleasures of God’s Faithfulness: Reflections on Bethlehem’s 150 Years

In 2021, Bethlehem Baptist celebrated 150 years as a church. As part of the celebration service, former pastor John Piper reflects on how a church could endure, and bear fruit, over generations.

Workers for Your Joy: The Call of Christ to Christian Leaders

David Mathis | God made us to be led, every one of us. He designed us to thrive, not in autonomy, but under the wisdom and care of worthy leaders.

We Win the World with Singing

God plans to win the world with singing. Here are five connections between our joy-filled worship and the finishing of the Great Commission.

Update from John Piper

John Piper | About changes to this podcast.

Who Are the Nations? Discovering God’s Global Mission

The Lamb who was slain will one day receive the reward of his suffering — people will come to him in joyful faith from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

‘Rejoice When You Are Slandered’: How to Do the Humanly Impossible

One of the most challenging commands in all the Bible is to rejoice when reviled. It’s not just difficult; it is humanly impossible.

Serious Joy for Leaders Who Last: To the Class of 2021

Christian leaders often carry great burdens. But God never leaves them without the opportunity to know serious joy, even in the hardest trials.

The Achievement of Christ Without Which There Would Be No Others

Christ has secured innumerable benefits for his people. But without this central, most foundational achievement, all the rest would collapse.

Can Joy Come in Sorrow? Lessons for an Authentic Christian Life

How do joy and sorrow mingle in the Christian life? Does joy come only after sorrow passes, or can it come in the very midst of our griefs?

‘Hallowed Be Your Name’: The Greatest Prayer in All the World

The lines of the Lord’s Prayer tend to pass by our eyes, and through our mouths, in a routine manner. But what might we be missing in our familiarity?

Doing the Right Thing Never Ruins Your Life: A Belief That Prevents Abortion

Abortion holds out hope that ending the unborn child’s life will spare you misery and hardship. But doing the right thing will never ruin your life.

Faith That Satisfies — and Saves: What It Means to Come to Jesus

The nature of genuine saving faith isn’t mere mental assent, but receiving all that God is for us in Jesus Christ.

Is Love for Jesus, or Faith in Jesus, the Root of Ministry and Obedience?

Believing in Jesus, according to the Gospel of John, overlaps with love because it involves an act of the soul whereby one receives Jesus as their soul-satisfying bread, thirst-quenching water, and life-giving vine.

Leading by Feeding

The central work of pastoral ministry is leading the people of God by feeding them with the word of Christ.

Singing, Suffering, and Scripture: How God Keeps Us Through Song

Suffering may quiet our singing for a time, but God designed singing to sustain our souls. And one day, we will sing forever with unrestrained joy.

Every Letter Kills, Including Shakespeare: Pressing Through Texts in the Power of the Spirit

To exposit a text is only one part of preaching and teaching. We must drill down into the words and unearth the reality that holds the text together.

Exposition or Imposition? How Gospel-Centered Preaching Can Go Wrong

Preachers, instead of taking your text and making a beeline to the cross, take the cross and make a beeline to your text.

The Second Coming: Not Before the ‘Man of Lawlessness’

As we look forward to Christ’s second coming, what matters most is not that we have the timing and details down, but that we hold fast to Jesus as our great hope.

Does God Intend Evil for Our Good? Providential Peril for Joseph, Jesus, and You

John Piper | What sinners and Satan intend for evil, God always superintends for good. Our all-wise God brings restoration from ruin and deliverance out of danger.

The Secret of Christ-Magnifying Contentment as the Path to Costly Love

John Piper | True contentment in Christ not only guards against our ever-changing circumstances, but frees us to overflow in costly love to others — even our enemies.

The Second Coming: Wrath and Rescue

Suffering, pain, and trouble never have the last word for the people of God. He is our hope and our joy, and he will bring us all the way home.

Do Not Take God’s Name in Vain: The Weight and Wonder of the Third Commandment

John Piper | To take God’s name in vain is about far, far more than avoiding foul language. Our reverence for God’s name cuts to the very core of our worship in all of life.

Live for Your Greatest Desire: Jesus

Jesus’s call to deny ourselves isn’t a demand to give up happiness but an invitation to walk with him on the path to deep, lasting joy.

Serious Joy, Cultural Conflict, and Christian Humility: Thoughts on Christian Education

True Christian education fills our hearts and minds with a joy so serious and strong that our society loses its power to control where we stand and what we say.

Christ Magnified in His World Through Servants Satisfied in His Worth

God will not settle for redeeming people from just a few parts of the globe. He will have people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Seek the Things That Are Above

Every believer in Jesus Christ has a potent spiritual superpower. With the Spirit’s help, we now can seek the very things of heaven above.

How Does Humility Lead in Conflict? A Charge to Christian Leaders

The humblest response to our culture’s tirade against objective truth isn’t to retreat, but to lovingly and kindly contend for what the Bible says.

‘How God Made Me Happy in Him’: John Piper’s Journey to Joy

Glory and joy appear all over the Bible, but how they relate is not readily obvious. Listen to John Piper tell the story of how God connected the dots between the two.

Seven Reasons We Must Pursue Supreme Satisfaction in God

Enjoying God, being satisfied in him, is essential in glorifying him as he deserves. God is not as glorified by mere duty as he is by delight.

A Peculiar Act of Worship: Preaching as Expository Exultation

John Piper | The preacher’s task is not merely to teach or inform, but to rejoice with his people over the wonders of Scripture.

The Explosive Power of the Resurrection — Now

Jesus’s resurrection not only guarantees that we too will rise, but that we can taste steadfast, heavenly joy here and now — even in suffering. John Piper preached this sermon at the Sing! Conference in Nashville.

Christians Care About All Suffering and Injustice

Suffering and injustice infect every inch of our world. But Jesus grants his people the resolve to labor for change that makes an everlasting difference. John Piper preached this message at the Sing! Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.

How to Preach in the Power of the Spirit

Sermons are not speeches. Preaching isn’t a lecture. When a pastor speaks God’s words to his gathered people, in the power of the Spirit, miracles happen. John Piper delivered this message at the Sing! conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Even When It Hurts: How Christ Reveals Himself in Pain

In this life, we will not be able to see all God is doing through sickness and pain, but we can trust that he will reveal more of himself to us through every trial and trouble.

The Glory of God and Why We Sing

The greatness of God’s glory invites a response that moves his people beyond mere words. And so we sing. John Piper preached this sermon at the Sing! Conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Our Worth Is Not in What We Own: Fifteen-Minute Gospel Presentation

We will never find true worth in what we have or who we are. True, full, lasting satisfaction can only come through all that God is for us in Jesus Christ. After the congregation sang “My Worth Is Not in What I Own,” John Piper presented this gospel message at the Sing! Belfast conference.

Who Will Give My Head Waters? Seven Reasons to Pray for Holy Tears

Tears, crying, and weeping are all a proper response to the God-ordained sorrow and pain we face. Just because God is sovereign doesn’t mean we ignore our pain.

Pharisaism, Money, and the Greatness of God

What makes the heart of a legalist tick? You might be surprised how often, despite appearances, it is simply this: the love of money. John Piper delivered this message at a chapel for Crossway Books.

What Do Christians Care About (Most)? To the Class of 2019

Christians care about all injustice in our fallen world. But our outrage against wrongdoing will fizzle out unless we root our concern in God himself. We care especially about injustice against God. John Piper preached this message at the 2019 Bethlehem College & Seminary commencement.

Christ Has Purchased Global Praise: The Blood, the Beast, and the Boast of Race

Jesus has already paid the price to ransom a global people who live to praise him. And he wants to use you to spread the astoundingly good news. John Piper preached this message at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis.

The Golden Stitches of Sovereignty: What Holds Our Gospel Together

The death of Jesus Christ was no mere product of coincidences. God planned every detail to ensure the salvation of his people. John Piper preached this message at The Gospel Coalition 2019 National Conference.

What Kind of Heart Does Christ Deserve? The Call of Christian Hedonism

Jesus is worthy to be praised with our every thought and deed. But what about our feelings? The Bible’s clearest answer is also the best of news. John Piper preached this message at the Bethlehem 2019 Conference for Pastors + Church Leaders in Minneapolis.

Is It Right to Seek More Joy Than We Have Through Justification?

Jesus not only paid for our full acceptance with God, but he also purchased grace for us to embrace obedience. This is the second message John Piper preached at the Bethlehem 2019 Conference for Pastors + Church Leaders in Minneapolis.

The Invincible Power of Joy for World Missions: For Cowards, Consumers, and the Comfortable

Safety tempts us to stay put. Luxury tries to lure us. Comfort wants to keep us. But God has a bigger, global dream for his people. John Piper preached this message at the G3 2019 conference in Atlanta.

Make Your Life Count: The Greatest Missions Letter Ever Written

One day soon, people from every nation will bring God praise and glory. But they won’t encounter everlasting hope until God’s people go and send. Piper preached this message on January 4, 2019, at the CROSS Conference in Louisville, where thousands gathered to discern their call to the nations.

You Are Anointed: How the Truth Becomes Precious

Jesus anoints every believer with his Spirit so that we taste how precious he is.

Sorrowful Love Springs from Serious Joy

Every act of Christian love springs from serious joy in Jesus. When your hope is secure in him, you can give whatever it takes to serve others.

Are We Adopted for Us or for God?

The more gladness we have in our Father, the more we bring glory to his name. Our happiness in him shows off his holiness in us.

The Key to Simultaneous Sorrow and Joy

Jesus has purchased something infinitely better than anything this world has to offer: the glory of God himself. We have every reason to boast in him.

The Devil Can Do Exposition, but He Can’t Preach

The pulpit isn’t just a place for a lecture or even mere teaching. Every sermon should sing with worship over the glories of God’s word. John Piper delivered this message during a breakout seminar at the Sing! 2018 Conference in Nashville.

Your Emotions Matter to God: Learning from the Bible’s Songbook

Satan is trying to steal your joy. God gave us the Psalms to fight back.

An Impossible Covenant — And How It Becomes a Permanent Joy

John Piper | Jesus bought an unbreakable covenant for his people. He takes hardened rebels and transforms them into a beautiful bride for their eternal joy.

Joy Makes All Things New

Joy is not a wishful add-on to the Christian life, but essential to knowing and worshiping God. When we finally discover joy in Jesus, everything changes.

Lord, Teach Us to Fight: The Double Battle in Gethsemane

Jesus took the cup of God’s wrath so that we would never have to. And now he beckons each of us to join him in speaking and sharing the good news of his victory.

God Rules the Heart of Every Man: Elijah’s Battle with the Prophets of Baal

The people of God may appear weak, but God loves to be at a disadvantage — just before he wins.

Your Thorn for the Shaming of Satan: To the Class of 2018

Your pains and weaknesses are not obstacles to everything you want to accomplish, but the very instruments God uses to make you more like his Son.

New God, New Gospel, New Gladness: How Is Christian Joy Distinct?

The most basic distinction between the church and the world is not godly decisions, good deeds, or even true doctrines, but glad delight in God himself.

How to Get Wisdom: Become a Fool

Wisdom from God is more valuable than gold. It may look foolish to a watching world, but the lasting path of happiness comes only in the guidance God gives.

If I Could Start All Over: Six Lessons for Your Twenties

What would John Piper say to those with most of their adult life ahead of them? Here are six rules he would live by.

The Glory of Christ and Racial Unity: On the 50th Anniversary of MLK’s Death

When we come to Christ, we don’t lose our ethnic or cultural identities. But we all put on his insignia and find new possibilities for unity in him.

From Darkness to Delight: A Fresh Call for Christian Hedonists

John Piper | If you find Jesus boring or unsatisfying, you haven’t really discovered yet who he is.

Right with God, Right with Man: The Power of Superior Pleasure

Receiving Jesus as our greatest joy unlocks right standing with God and right living with others.

Jesus Raised Jesus from the Dead — And Why It Matters

A one-of-a-kind death, and a one-of-a-kind resurrection, has been carried out by this one-of-a-kind Person who is more valuable than all else.

How to Preach with Supernatural Power

Christian preaching is not simply an exchange of information, but a channel through which the Holy Spirit works his miracles in both preacher and hearers.

How to Seek the Holy Spirit

Without the work of the Holy Spirit, we are helpless. Seek him, and he will rest upon you — especially in your hour of greatest need.

What Is It Like to Enjoy God?

God created you not mainly to do things for him, but to delight in him. The more we enjoy God, the more he is honored, and our very purpose in life is fulfilled.

Joy Changes Everything: An Invitation to Christian Hedonism

When you finally recognize that God wants to make you happier than you could ever dream, nothing will ever be the same again.

What Made Jonathan Edwards a Christian Hedonist?

The supreme goal of all Jonathan Edwards’s life and work was that God would be glorified through his people being supremely satisfied in him.

Reformation 500 Sermon: Stand on Your Head for Joy

Tuesday, October 31, 2017, marks the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation with Luther’s nailing of his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg.

Heart Comes Before Head: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture

John Piper | When a Christian reads the Bible, a supernatural event takes place. Our regenerate souls meet the inspired word in a divine encounter.

Better to Lose Your Life Than Waste It

Only what’s done for Christ will last. Any risk, any trial, any tribulation is worth the risk when your aim in all of life is to make others glad in God.

Our Eyes Are on You, Lord: Thoughts on Pastoral Succession

Sooner or later, every leader will hand off the baton to the next generation — and where better to center pastoral succession than in the word of God himself?

How to Find Gold in God’s Word: Reading the Bible with Supernatural Help

All the Bible knowledge in the world won’t help you unless you cherish God’s truth. We’re nothing more than Pharisees unless we taste the glory of God in his word.

Faith Alone: How (Not) to Use a Reformed Slogan

No truth was more central to the Reformation that turned the world upside down 500 years ago: God justifies sinners by faith alone.

Soli Deo Gloria: Heart and Soul of the Reformation

God works every dot on the timeline of history for his glory. Nothing stands outside the scope of his plan to bring fame to his name, for the joy of his people.

Did Christ Die for Us or for God?

We often live as though we are God, but biblical thinking assumes that God is the center of all reality.

Christ’s Urgent Call: Don’t Waste Your Life

Christ calls us to live and die in such a way that we magnify his worth. Anything less is a wasted life.

The Tipping Point of Sacrificial Missions: The Overflow of Joy in Jesus

Only a love sustained by genuine joy in God will propel us to take the gospel to the hardest places in the world.

God’s Purposes in a World of Pain

John Piper | Pain and suffering exist to make plain the horrors of the sinful heart and the wonders of the sovereign Christ.

The Gospel-Shaped Mouth: Preaching the Glories of Christ

Genuine preaching aims to display the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel-Shaped Mind: Knowing the Glories of Christ

In the fight for faith, our minds serve our hearts. Right knowledge fuels true passion.

The Gospel-Shaped Heart: Treasuring the Glories of Christ

The ultimate goal of the gospel is that God would be glorified in our enjoyment of him. God’s glory and our satisfaction are not two different ends, they’re one.

Sacred Book, Sovereign God, Serious Joy: Why Study Liberal Arts in College

True Christian education prepares us to enjoy God and love our neighbors even more than it prepares us for the workforce.

Sacred Schizophrenia: A Meditation on Self-Denial

The Christian life is a fight. But our deadliest enemy doesn’t attack us from the outside, but from within.

Treasure God, Magnify Christ, Love People: The Way of Christian Hedonism

Real love is the overflow of joy in God that meets the needs of others, especially when it’s costly.

We Need Each Other: Christian Fellowship as a Means of Perseverance

Christians don’t fly solo. Our faith won’t survive unless brothers and sisters in Christ keep us accountable.

No Other Gospel: The Formal and Material Principles of the Reformation

Five hundred years ago, the Reformers fought to recover the true gospel. Fifteen hundred years before, God used Paul to pen the Reformers’ central text for justification by faith alone.

The Pastor, the People, and the Pursuit of Joy

Your joy in God multiplies exponentially as you seek the good of your brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.

Gospel Worship: Holy Ambition for All the Peoples to Praise Christ

John Piper | God has a place for every single one of us in missions. Some of us send, some of us go, but we must all have a gospel ambition.

Gospel Depths: Why God Revealed the Depths of Salvation in Eternity Past

John Piper | The only reason any of us know God is because he chose us before the foundation of the world. Nothing we’ve done can earn our way to him — it’s all grace.

Seven Resolutions for Aging and Dying Well: A Funeral Message for Verna Erickson

At the end of your life, as your energy fades, God will be your refuge and strength.

The Ultimate Essence of Evil: The Majesty of God, the Triumph of Christ, and the Glory of Human Life

The very essence of evil is running to anything but God for ultimate joy. Watch, read, or listen to John Piper’s message from Passion 2017.

No Global Mission Without God’s Mighty Spirit

We are living in the third great era of world history — the era of the Spirit. Our only hope for advancing God’s mission is to lean on the power of his Spirit.

The True Grace of Christian Camaraderie

Grace is always personal. God mediates his grace to undeserving sinners through the warm affections of his divine family, the church.

How We Know the Bible Is True: The Beauty of Scripture as the Ground of Its Truth

Satan believes the Scriptures are God’s very words. But the difference between us and him is that he doesn’t treasure that truth.

Sons of Freedom and Joy: How a Christian Relates to the State

Christians claim their true citizenship in heaven. When we submit to earthly governments, we do so out of allegiance to Christ’s eternal kingdom.

Put the Attorneys to Work: How to Give the Bible Functional Authority in Your Speech and Writing

Christian leaders should exude the Bible. They need to test everything they speak and write through the grid of biblical teaching.

Teach the Nations to Do the Impossible

Jesus’s supreme authority empowers his Great Commission. We go, teach, and teach others to teach in the confidence that Jesus himself is with us.

Fifteen Dreams for the Future of Christian Hedonism

Central to biblical Christianity is the pursuit of our joy in God. John Piper expresses fifteen hopes for the future of maximizing our joy in God.

God’s volcanic passion for his own glory erupts in overflowing delight for his Son and unceasing joy for his children who share in God’s own glorious bliss.

The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally

In all true Bible reading, we think and God gives. We work hard to comprehend the authors’ intended meaning while we simultaneously rely on God to help us understand.

The Supernatural Act of Reading the Bible

Whenever we read the Bible, we depend on God’s supernatural power to illumine the words, sentences, and paragraphs with his glory.

The Ultimate Goal of Reading the Bible

The Bible is indispensable to the Christian life. Without the written word, we simply could not know the Incarnate Word.

Jesus Is the Test of True Faith

Christians embrace both the New Testament and the Old because every single page of the Scriptures points to Jesus who fulfills them.

Jesus Christ Egomaniac? What Piper Said at Google

God is the one being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is not the act of a needy ego, but an act of infinite giving.

The Inexplicable Life: Humility, Hope, and Love in Suffering

Christians can show the world the hope they have within through joyful, humble willingness to suffer wrong and serve, rather than return evil for evil.

Life-Risking Courage in the Cause of Love

God supplies the sustaining grace we need to love others well as we seriously pursue our joy in him.

Why God Created the World

God created the world, and sustains it every second, to show the worth of his Son’s redeeming work.

Prayer: How to Do the Humanly Impossible

God is glorified when Christians humble themselves openly as people who are not ashamed to beg for help.

The Heart of the Gospel: The Righteousness from God that Depends on Faith

John Piper | Christ’s righteousness imputed to sinners through faith undergirds the whole of the Christian faith.

The Roots of Fearless Unity in the Gospel

Humble unity in the gospel beautifully displays to a watching world that Jesus is more satisfying than getting your own way.

The Glory of Christ: Ultimate Goal, Alienating Problem, All-Transforming Answer

God’s pursuit of his own glory opens the door to a feast of beauty and truth that satisfies the human soul forever.

How to Experience the Outpouring of God’s Love

God doesn’t merely give us arguments for his love, but he gives us a real, authentic experience of his love!

How We Know the Bible Is True

You don’t need complicated arguments to know the Bible is true. You can see the Glory for yourself.

Living and Loving by Faith in Future Grace

Where will we find the emotional power to keep us from returning evil for evil? Not in vague notions of grace, but by trusting God’s specific promises.

How Our Children Can Know the Bible Is True

I want to help parents (and leaders of children’s ministries) see how the Bible shows itself to be true — and how to communicate this vital truth to our children.

The Bondage of the Will, the Sovereignty of Grace, and the Glory of God

For Martin Luther, the issue of man’s bondage to sin, and moral inability to believe or obey, was the root issue of the Reformation — and the lynchpin of Protestantism.

Love Her More, Love Her Less: Living for God’s Glory in Marriage

You love your spouse more when you love them less than God. If God is not central, your marriage will not glorify God as he intended.

Seven Resolutions for Finishing Well

There won’t be any phoniness in heaven. There will only be complete authenticity. We will discover what childlikeness was really meant to be.

Three Sightings of the Glory of Jesus

Preaching to a Persecuted People: The Pastor as Leader, Comforter, and Guide

In the new America, a stage is being set as never before for the display of the glory of God through the joy of his grieving people.

Precision with God’s Words, Love for God’s Glory

John Piper | We are raising up a generation of Christian leaders who love the glory of God and handle the word of God carefully.

Think It Not Strange: Fiery Trials and the Testimony of Christ

We should not be surprised or ashamed when we suffer in the name of Jesus. God refines us and displays the worth of Christ in and through our suffering.

The Beast, the Book, and the Beauty of the Lamb

“The Book of the Life of the Lamb who was Slain” is an eternal book, pledging God's redemptive act in history, and securing God's eternal praise from his redeemed.

Manhood and womanhood are not traits to be ignored, but God-given gifts we can cherish together as both genders reflect God’s good design.

The mission given to every Christian is to declare and demonstrate that the glory of Christ is more precious than life.

John Piper | There is an all-permeating passion that belongs in the saved human soul, and that will not be crushed by the moral chaos of these days, or by the suffering that Christians must endure.

The more horrible, foreign, startling, fearful, uncertain, and stomach-turning the days become, the more relevant the gospel of Jesus Christ is.

You Cannot Obey God Without God

John Piper | How do we set about obeying the hundreds of commands in the Bible? John Piper explores what it means to be born again and how it happens.

The Glory of God as the Ground of the Mind’s Certainty and the Goal of the Soul’s Satisfaction

In the Bible, the glory of God reveals itself to be inescapably real to the mind, and incomparably rewarding to the heart. Nothing could be more true, and nothing could be more precious.

All Authority in Heaven and Earth

The audacity to make disciples for Jesus from followers of other lords and other religions is based on the rock solid foundation of the words — and the reality — “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

How to Know the Will of God: Finding Direction with the Renewed Mind

God wants to make you new more than he wants to reveal his secret plans for tomorrow. That’s his good purpose for you in all things.

You Are Not Appointed for Wrath

The word of God is meant to be our unshakable rock and comfort in times of trouble, and we should encourage each other with its precious truths.

Don’t Be a Sucker

The Path to Full and Lasting Pleasure

Psalm 16 gives us some of the clearest, most powerful words about our greatest happiness.

Money, Sex, and Power: The Potential

Money, Sex, and Power. Three precious gifts of God. Three dangers ready to destroy our souls. Three beautiful possibilities for worship and love.

Money, Sex, and Power: The Dangers

The glory of God is the brightest beauty, and the greatest treasure, the sweetest pleasure in all of reality, and is, therefore, never to be exchanged for what sex, money, or power can bring.

Money, Sex, and Power: Definitions and Foundations

Money, sex, and power are three good gifts of God. We know the basic definition of each — but is there more underneath the surface?

How You Can Know You’re a Child of God

Everyone struggles with doubts at some point, but God doesn’t want us to wallow in uncertainty. He gives us his Spirit to testify to our new life.

Called to Be Lights in the World

John Piper | John Piper begins this session with God’s purpose in saving anyone he saves. He ends with a few words about serving and suffering in a broken and ungodly world.

Destined to Obey, or Disobey

John Piper | In this session, John Piper takes up the question: How does the absolute sovereignty of God relate to the disobedience and rebellion of nonbelievers?

Born Again by the Book

John Piper | When you were born again, what happened? In twelve minutes, John Piper explains how God brings about the miracle of the new birth.

The Infinite Price of Your Freedom

John Piper | God calls us to live in a way that says Jesus’s blood is infinitely valuable. In fifteen minutes, John Piper tells us how.

New Passions Are the Path to Holiness

John Piper | The vast majority of what you do flows from what you value. In less than twenty minutes, John Piper grounds and inspires our hope in Jesus, and then calls us to follow God’s path to new desires and passions. Hope is the enabling power for our growth in godliness.

A Faith More Precious Than Gold

John Piper | Your faith is the most valuable thing you will ever have or experience in this life. In twenty minutes, John Piper explains just how valuable your faith is, and why it means so much to God. He also paints a picture of what’s coming at the end of all our waiting, when our faith finally becomes sight.

Simultaneous Joy and Sorrow

John Piper | How can someone have unshakeable joy in Jesus and deal with the painful realities of life? In fifteen minutes, John Piper embraces and explains the necessary tension between joy and sorrow in the Christian life. With every trial we face, God has given us a specific grace designed for that trouble.

Why Your Faith Will Not Fail

John Piper | What makes you think you will be a Christian tomorrow morning? In 15 minutes, John Piper builds a foundation for the perseverance of your faith through all the world’s temptations and all of life’s trails. Your faith will not fail because God holds your faith and is utterly committed to keeping you.

Born Again to a Living Hope

John Piper | What does the new birth mean for our lives today? The glorious effects do not wait for heaven, but bring light back into everything we experience here on earth, even the hardest trials. In twenty-five minutes, John Piper reminds us of all that is promised to those who hope in Jesus Christ.

The Word Awakens Joy and Worship

John Piper | Peter begins his letter not merely with statements of truth, but with worship. He rejoices over the realities he has seen about who God is and what he has done. In twenty minutes, John Piper walks through these first verses to understand the role of the Bible in our new birth and daily worship.

Set Apart by the Spirit

John Piper | Following Jesus Christ will make us exiles in the world we live. That does not mean we should try and make ourselves exiles part from the Holy Spirit. In eleven minutes, John Piper confronts modern Pharisees. He also tries to help people who struggle to think like the biblical authors.

Exiles on the Earth

John Piper | The Bible’s book for people who feel like exiles on this earth is 1 Peter. Suffering of all kinds unsettles us and makes us long to be home with the Lord. In thirty minutes, John Piper opens the first verses of 1 Peter, highlighting who Peter is and explaining what it means to be an exile of heaven.

Basics for Reading the Bible

John Piper | After introducing the hostile context in 1 Peter, John Piper lays out pivotal principles for reading and understanding the Bible. The meaning of “meaning” is massive and elusive. Before we can agree on what a verse of the Bible means, we have to define our terms and linger over several key texts.

A Survey of Suffering in 1 Peter

John Piper | In this first session on 1 Peter 1–2, John Piper traces the theme of suffering. Peter is writing to exiles on the earth, helping them endure the darkness and opposition of this world with joy. He also explains the heart and vision behind the method of Look at the Book for studying the Bible.

Friendship with Jesus and the Aim of Education in Serious Joy

John Piper’s commencement message on the relationship between friendship with Jesus and the aims of higher education — specifically the educational aims of Bethlehem College & Seminary.

Life-Risking Courage in the Cause of Love

Without sourcing our love for others from our joy in God, we will never be able to risk whatever it takes draw more people to Jesus.

It Is Right to Live for Maximum Pleasure

The greatest benefits of the cross, like justification, propitiations, salvation, and redemption, are all a means to us enjoying the one greatest benefit: glorifying God by enjoying him forever.

The Pain of the World and the Purposes of God

We may never be able to explain every instance of suffering, but we can trust that God is near, he is in control, and he is bringing us unimaginable good — even through pain.

Biblical Foundations for Seeking God's Justice in a Sinful World

What Jesus Demands from the World

Jesus demands the impossible, whole-hearted love for God and others, but he does not abandon us to the task.

The Shoot from Jesse, the Nations, and Israel

Suffering, Faith, and the Sign of Fearlessness

God graciously gives his people suffering and faith so that they might enjoy magnifying Christ to their adversaries through fearlessness of faith and humble love.

A Living Hope Through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

John Piper | The living hope every Christian enjoys now and waits for in the future is rooted in the mercy of God, the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and the new birth.

Undaunted by the Darkness – Invincible Joy for the Sake of the Nations

Make War: The Pastor and His People in the Battle Against Sin

What Is Sin? The Essence and Root of All Sinning

The Plundering of Your Property and the Power of Hope

We can joyfully accept hardship in this life because our true home is in heaven. Our best life is yet to come.

The Glory of God in the Good Resolves of His People

Why Do Christians Preach and Sing?

No other religion or movement on the planet preaches and sings like Christians.

Such a Great Salvation

The Son of God brings many sons to glory through his own suffering — and this is more fitting than we can begin to know.

The Gospel of the Grace of God

Gospel-Centered History and Gospel-Centered Living

John Piper | All of history led to and flows from the cross. If the center of reality isn’t the center of our lives, we are tragically off course.

Ten Effects of Seeing God’s Sovereignty

Romans 9 is one of the most difficult and rewarding passages of Scripture. Here are ten ways John Piper has identified the passage has impacted his life.

God Is Totally Free to Save You

In all of salvation — election and justification — works count for nothing, but only the free act of God.

Why Would God Ordain Evil?

God loveswhen we struggle and wrestle with his word if our wrestling is to understand and love him more. Let all our questions be asked in faith.

God Saves Whom He Wills

As we come to realize how big God is and how horrifying our own sin is, we will come to understand election as an unimaginably great grace.

The Difference Between Calvinists and Arminians

The Bible is clear that God’s election is true. Here are four reasons why it is also good and beautiful.

Your Joy Depends on Election

God’s gift of salvation does not depend on anything that we do or are in ourselves. It depends on God’s own sovereign, gracious freedom.

Who Is the True Israel?

The promises of God are, and always have been, for the children of promise born by the miracle of God.

Unrelenting Sorrow and Relentless Joy

Even as Paul’s heart broke for his unbelieving kinsmen, his hope and joy was in the God of indomitable promise.

Does God Keep His Promises?

What good are the glorious promises in Romans 8 if God breaks his promises? This is where Romans 9 begins: showing that the word of God never fails.

All of God’s Promises Rest on God

Our hope in God’s promises depends on his trustworthiness to keep his word. How can we know that God will keep his great promises?

Six Reasons to Read the Bible Every Day

There are millions of books in the world — why should we spend time in the Bible? Here are six reasons this book earns our effort more than any other.

Introduction to Romans 9

No passage in the Bible may give you as much trouble as Romans 9. And no passage can give you as much hope in the promises of God.

Greatest Book, Greatest Chapter, Greatest Joy

Predestination, Justification, No Separation

Groaning Creation, Groaning Saints, Groaning Spirit

Free from Judgment, Fighting Sin, Full Assurance

Scripture: The Kindling of Christian Hedonism

Join Me in Soul-Satisfaction in God

God is most satisfied in us when we are most satisfied in him. A fresh angle for the Christian Hedonist from Psalm 131.

Bitter Providence and Barley Harvest

The bitter providence of God is never the final word for his people because he always has a bright design for their future.

Are You Worthy of Jesus?

Are you worthy of Jesus? We not only can be — we need to be.

Death Is Not the End of Life

In Jesus, we have eternal life if we do and keep his word. Though we all will die, death is not the end of life for all those in Christ.

The Life of the Mind and the Love of Man

God calls each one of us to love him with all our minds. The hard work of thinking rightly honors him and loves our neighbors when our minds move to action.

Responding to God According to His Word

A Spectacular and Scary Promise: Assurance, Suffering, and Our Great Inheritance

God promises unimaginable blessings to every one of his children – if we have the courage to walk with Jesus through suffering.

The Glory of God and Gladness of Man

God’s glory and our gladness do not have to be at odds, but are in fact one and the same pursuit. John Piper demonstrates how with the help of Jonathan Edwards.

What Is the Joy of All Your Joys?

God promises innumerable benefits to all who trust in him. But those gifts aren’t an end in themselves. Our greatest joy is God himself.

Persuading, Pleading, and Predestination: Human Means in the Miracle of Conversion

In his 2014 plenary message at T4G, John Piper preaches about the seeming tension between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility in all our efforts to convert the lost.

The New Calvinism and the New Community

Preparing to Know Christ Deeply Through Suffering

In suffering, we come to hope more fully in God and put less confidence in the things of the world. We also come to know Christ better when we share his sufferings.

A Tender Word to Pharisees

John Piper | God opens his arms to both prodigals and Pharisees — to those who know they don’t deserve mercy, and those who have worked for mercy their whole life.

Pilgrim Worship

Glorifying God by Bearing Fruit in Union with Christ

Don’t Waste Your Seminary

We always face the threat of ruining any season of grace. Don’t waste your seminary years, but more importantly, don’t waste your life.

A Radical Revelation of the Cross: The Sovereignty of God and the Sacrifice of Jesus

When we embrace Christ’s cross and the unswerving foundation of God’s sovereignty, we will be kept by merciful and omnipotent glory.

A Spectacular and Scary Promise

If you are a child of God, then the Holy Spirit lives and works in you to kill sin and depend on God.

The Sweetest Good of the Good News

Forgiveness is precious for one ultimate reason — one sweet, high, glorious reason: We get God back.

Saying Well as a Way of Seeing Wonder

Doug Wilson Interviews John Piper and Tim Chester

John Piper, Tim Chester, and Douglas Wilson | Listen Now

Why Is the Glory of God at Stake in Making People Plural?

God is ransoming a people for himself from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Therefore, missions is a call to the people groups of the world, not just the countries of the world.

Is Jesus an Egomaniac?

The Highest Good of the Gospel

Jesus won innumerable benefits for his people, but the greatest good he brings us is God himself.

Zeal for God: Deadly or Indispensable?

The New Testament not only says that you can have a zeal and not be saved, but it also says that you cannot be saved without a zeal for God.

Identity and Desire

What God Made Is Good — And Must Be Sanctified: C.S. Lewis and St. Paul on the Use of Creation

C.S. Lewis, Romantic Rationalist: How His Paths to Christ Shaped His Life and Ministry

John Piper | Lewis’s romanticism and rationalism were the paths on which he came to Christ — and the paths on which he lived his life and did his work.

The Cost of Love in the Call to the Nations

Being deeply satisfied in Jesus as your supreme treasure gives you the power to lay down your life for the good of the nations.

Perseverance in God-Centered Missions

When our souls drink deeply from God’s delights, we can’t help but overflow and invite others to join us.

Doctrinal Depth and Gospel Advance

Doctrinal depth is crucial for the work of gathering Christ’s lost sheep through the proclamation of the gospel.

The Glory of God in the Sight of Eternity

Glorifying God by Reaching the Lost

Glorifying God by Being Compelled by God’s Love

You are precious to God, and the greatest gift he has for you is not to let your preciousness become your god, but to enable you to make much of him as your God.

Glorifying God . . . Period

John Piper | Watch Now

All Things Are Yours

John Piper | Listen Now

Reflecting on 33 Years in the Pastorate

God Works for Those Who Wait for Him

There are many gods, but there is no God like our — a God who works for those who wait for him.

Live in Hope, Live in Holiness, Live in Holy Fear

Jesus Is Most Magnified in Us When We Are Most Satisfied in Him

We are all created for God’s glory, and the way we most glorify God is by being satisfied in him.

What Happens in the New Birth

The new birth is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that cleanses us from all our sin and makes us into a new creation.

Farewell Words to Bethlehem Baptist Church

As John Piper steps away from his pastoral role at Bethlehem Baptist Church, he reflects on his ministry with heartfelt gratitude to God.

The Life and Ministry of Charles Spurgeon

Jesus the Son of God, the Son of Mary

Future Grace (Q&A)

Future Grace (Part 2)

Trusting future grace in all that God promises to be for us in Jesus is the only way to successfully put sin to death and live a life of love.

Future Grace (Part 1)

John Piper | Faith in future grace is essential for God to be glorified in our lives of holiness.

Thanks to the Bethlehem Staff

Pastor John addresses the Bethlehem staff in the transition of his pastoral role in 2011 concerning 20 things he is thankful for.

God Raised Your Great Shepherd from the Dead

The Essential and Prominent Place of Preaching in Worship

A Hunger for God: The Foundation for Faithful and Effective Ministry

Every pastor must work hard for the joy of his people. But he can only do this from the overflow of a hunger for God.

Q & A with Eric Metaxas and John Piper

How to Give the Bible Functional Authority in Your Speech and Writing

The Pursuit of God’s Glory in Salvation

John Piper | Watch Now

The Pursuit of God’s Glory in Salvation

John Piper | Watch Now

The Pursuit of God’s Glory in Salvation

John Piper | Watch Now

The Pursuit of God’s Glory in Salvation

John Piper | Watch Now

The Pursuit of God’s Glory in Salvation

John Piper | Watch Now

The Pursuit of God’s Glory in Salvation

John Piper | The promises of God stand only if he is supremely sovereign. What does that mean for our individual salvation?

Life Together at the End of the Age

All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God: Continue in It

In light of opposition to Christianity in culture, we must hold fast to the Scriptures according to the pattern of 2 Timothy 3:14–17.

Sailing to the Nations to Finish the Task

The essence of worship is the experience of being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus.

Sailing to the Nations to Finish the Task

Every Christian should have a holy ambition that is rooted in the word of God and aimed at meeting needs in the cause of world evangelization.

The Sadness and Beauty of Paul’s Final Words

A life of ministry is a life of hardship. But Jesus will strengthen us to endure every trial and struggle when we press on in faith.

The Gospel of the Glory of the Blessed God

Thinking Seriously About the Lost People You Love

We don’t have the power to save the lost ones we love, but God can. Pray to him and share the good news of a glorious Redeemer.

Joy as the Power to Suffer in the Path of Love for the Sake of Liberation

Sorrowful Yet Always Rejoicing

What the world needs from the church is our indomitable joy in Jesus in the midst of suffering and sorrow.

God Created Man Male and Female: What Does It Mean to Be Complementarian?

John Piper | God has designed men for Christlike servant-leadership, and God has designed women to honor and affirm her husband’s leadership.

Living by Faith in Future Grace

Though our faith is founded on past acts of redeeming grace, the way faith works now is by looking to the boundless fountain of future grace.

The Price and the Prize of the Gospel

The gospel is the good news that God in Christ paid the price of suffering, so that we could have the prize of enjoying him forever.

When Jesus Meets Disability: How a Christian Hedonist Handles Deep Disappointment

God reigns so supreme, that he can even turn our deepest disappointments into our greater good.

Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer

John Piper | Watch Now

Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer

John Piper | Watch Now

The Sovereignty of God: ‘I Will Accomplish All My Purpose’

From galaxies to molecules, God rules over all. His power encompasses everything.

Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer

John Piper | The sacred Scriptures are the lifeblood of our relationship with God. Don’t disconnect yourself of the restoring, rejuvenating effects of God’s word.

ABCs for Following God’s Call

John Piper walks through eight facets of making decisions for the glory of Christ.

Missions Exists Because Worship Doesn’t

God will spread the fame of his name to every tribe, nation, and tongue, but he won’t do it without his people sending and going.

A Spectacular and Scary Promise: Fellow Heirs with Christ If We Suffer

John Piper | The Holy Spirit wants to assure us that we are God‘s children. All he owns belongs to us — if we suffer alongside his Son.

Don’t Waste Your Life

The unwasted life is a life of pursuing joy in God at all costs, including the sacrificial love that brings people into that joy.

God Is Most Glorified in Us When We Are Most Satisfied in Him

God’s design to pursue his own glory turns out to be love. And our duty to pursue God’s glory turns out to be a quest for joy.

Should We Celebrate Interracial Marriage?

God is concerned with our purity of faith, not race. He never forbids marriage between ethnicities, but between believer and unbeliever.

Ten Ways to Pursue Ethnic Harmony in Your Church

Christ calls us to pursue unity in diversity, but what does that look like in a local church? John Piper offers ten ways forward.

Act the Miracle: Future Grace, the Word of the Cross, and the Purifying Power of God’s Promises

Christians tap into the sin-killing power of God when we believe a blood-bought promise and embrace it as a more precious treasure than any temptation in front of us.

Prelude to Acting the Miracle: Putting Sanctification in Its Place

God will bring our feelings, thoughts, and actions into conformity to his infinitely satisfying worth. If we are in Christ, it is as good as done.

Why Did God Create the World?

God created and sustains everything in this universe to display his glorious grace in Jesus.

Eternal Security Is a Community Project

God designed his church so that her members endure in belief by giving and receiving faith-sustaining words of life.

Reflections on Pastoring Three Decades Downtown

Three decades of ministry at Bethlehem Baptist Church demonstrate five important things that pastors should rememember for their ministries.

‘I Am Who I Am’

There is nothing more foundational, pervasive, and necessary than the truth and reality that God absolutely is who he is.