David Mathis works for both Desiring God and Bethlehem Baptist Church as the Executive Pastoral Assistant for John Piper.

Last night John Piper spoke at UCCF’s annual World Missions Service. The message was divided in two parts:

• “As the Father Has Sent Me...”
• “...So Send I You”

John Piper is speaking this week at the Universities & Colleges Christian Fellowship Forum near Weston Rhyn, England.

Message 1 of 4 on the book of Ruth is now available.

This week's sermon: "The Mind of Christ: Looking Out for the Interests of Others"

Wisdom doesn't develop in isolation. It is a corporate, relational attainment. It rises in relationships of humility, love, and servanthood and forged in the fires of a committed, corporate context.

Philippians 2 provides four examples of people who prioritized the interests of others and made this kind of wisdom-producing relational culture possible.

Epaphroditus was concerned about others even while he himself was sick, almost to the point of death. Timothy stood out as one who sought the interests of others. Paul himself was pleased to pour out his life for the interests of the churches.

And Jesus gave us the supreme example of attending to others' interests when he took on our humanity, came as a servant, emptied himself of divine privilege, and became obedient to the point, even a death as terrible as the cross.

Remind [the people] to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. (verses 1-2)

God doesn't send his church into the political fray with a strut and an open mouth but with gentleness and courtesy—with a readiness to do good, to avoid quarrels, and to speak evil of no one.

Why gentleness and courtesy? Why such an unexpected posture? Paul follows with his reason:

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. (verse 3)

As we Christians engage disobedient, enslaved "fools" in the political arena, we are to remember that we at one time were fools. We were once captive to the same unbelief, disobedience, and folly. But what happened to us? Nothing of our own doing.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (verses 4-7)

Those who have been rescued by God's grace are to engage those who haven't with gentleness and courtesy and a readiness to do them good and not evil. We should be quick to remember that apart from God's saving work—and owing to no work of our own—we share in the same disobedient, enslaved foolishness.

Our posture shouldn't be one of anger and triumphalism but compassion and humility. We remember that what saved us from our foolishness wasn't a political debate or a ballot box but the gospel about Jesus and the sovereign working of God.

We engage as recovering fools with empathy for the foolish.

Sometimes a strong rebuke is in order. The sin we see in the lives of those we love and lead is so serious that we must respond with intensity. This is the loving way to handle egregious departures from the truth.

But more often the sin is subtler, and the best way to respond is the path of an affirming challenge.

A Strong Rebuke

The occasional strong rebuke has biblical precedent. When Peter opposed Jesus’ path to the cross, the Savior responded with a passionate reprimand: “Get behind me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23).

And when Paul received word that his Galatian converts were trading trust in God’s grace for self-reliance, love prompted him to respond with severity. Their error was so grave that it was only fitting for him to spring into strong action. In Galatians 1:6, he straightforwardly tells them, 
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.” He later exclaims, “O foolish Galatians!” and asks, “Who has bewitched you?” (Galatians 3:1).

In both situations, the gospel was in the balance. Both were cross issues: Peter was trying to prevent Jesus from going to the cross; the Galatians were failing to trust the work that Jesus accomplished on their behalf at the cross. Firm and forceful rebukes were the only loving way to respond to such severe deviations.

An Affirming Challenge

But how are we to respond to those we love when their sin is less flagrant and doesn’t immediately threaten the vitality of the gospel in their lives?

In our cowardice and impatience we often fall out on one of two extremes: We either spinelessly default to flattery, or we discourage them with unnecessary sternness. However, there is another way—a gospel way—of an affirming challenge, a path which Paul beautifully models in 1 Thessalonians.

Throughout this epistle, he leaves no doubt about his love for his children in the faith at Thessalonica—this actually may be his most affectionate letter—but he also lovingly corrects some of his loved ones’ misconceptions and charges them to press on to greater Christlikeness.

Loving Affirmation

Paul goes the extra mile to make plain his deep love for the Thessalonians throughout the letter. And he clearly wants the Thessalonians to know that he is pleased with their progress in the faith. Throughout chapter one, he commends the progress of their Christian walk. Their faith is strong and bearing fruit (1 Thessalonians 1:2–5), and the news of their great growth is spreading far and wide (1:7–8).

In chapters two and three, his affirmations are more subjective. He speaks of his affectionate desire for them (2:7–8), his intense delight in them (2:17–20), and his great celebration over hearing about their amazing strength in the face of persecution (2:14–16, 3:6–10).

Loving Challenge

However, his deep love for the Thessalonians and his newfound enthusiasm about their progress doesn’t blind his eyes to their shortcomings. He is well aware that they have not arrived at perfection, and he longs to come to them and “supply what is lacking” (3:10) in their Christian walk.

Because of his profound affection for them, Paul is not content to leave them in their deficiencies but wants to carefully spur them on to greater faith and love.

So instead of merely ordering them to turn away from the negative, he points them to the positive. Rather than highlighting their struggles, he turns their attention to what they are doing well and challenges them to excel even more in that area.

Notice his gentle touch in 1 Thessalonians 4:1: “We ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.” In other words, “You’re doing well; keep it up. And keep growing!”

Paul takes the same approach in 4:10. He first graciously affirms their exemplary love and then challenges them “to do this more and more.”

Again in 5:11, he issues another affirming challenge: “Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” In one stroke, he both affirms their interaction and challenges them to keep improving.

Similarly, he writes to the Romans, “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder” (Romans 15:14–15).

Excel More and More

When we see issues that immediately threaten the potency of the gospel in the lives of those we love and lead, we should respond with strength and severity. This is the path of love. There is no room for toying with the gospel.

But more frequently the errors we see in others are less serious. So let us also aim to establish a pattern of loving encouragement and gentle care, handling less severe deviations with an affirming challenge.

May we not overlook the products of God’s grace in others’ lives by forgetting to affirm their progress in love as we challenge them to excel more and more.

Sam Storms has accepted a pastorate in Oklahoma City. The announcement is available at his ministry’s website.

Sam is a long-time friend of Desiring God. One of our more requested conference messages is Sam’s address on “Joy’s Eternal Increase: Edwards on the Beauty of Heaven” from our 2003 national conference.

This Week's Sermon: "What Is Baptism, and How Important Is It?"

(Part 2 of a 3-part series on baptism and church membership )

The drama of baptism gets its meaning from the gospel.

It pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It's not mainly about ritual or tradition but Jesus and his magnificent saving work of dying for sinners and rising again in triumph.

Baptism is:

1. a command of Jesus,
2. that expresses union with him,
3. by immersion in water,
4. in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit,
5. for believers only.
   

A sense of the continuity of the old and new covenants leads some people to baptize infants. But the argument for infant baptism doesn't work textually or covenantally.

Textually, the apostle Paul makes plain that baptism is for those who have been raised with Jesus through faith (Col. 2:12) and are sons of God through faith (Gal. 3:26–27). Baptism is not for those who don't have faith in Jesus—whether adult unbelievers or infants.

Covenantally, while the old-covenant sign of circumcision was administered to males after their physical birth into the national people of God, the new-covenant sign of baptism is to be administered to both males and females after their spiritual birth into the international people of God. New birth by the gospel now provides entrance into the people of God, not physical birth, and is marked by believer baptism, not circumcision.

Both baptism and local-church membership are serious and important. May God grant us the wisdom of Christ not to minimize either.

This week's sermon: "How Important Is Church Membership?"

(It is the first of 3 sermons on baptism and church membership.)

Church membership is a blood-bought gift of God's grace. So it is no small thing for a Christian to stiff arm church membership—or for a church to stiff arm a born-again believer from membership.

Part of what it means to belong to the body of Christ is to belong to a local body, because God intends the local church to be an expression of his universal church.

The New Testament gives at least five strands of evidence that a definable, local-church membership is necessary:

1. The church is to discipline its members.
2. The reality of excommunication exists.
3. Christians are required to submit to their leaders.
4. Leaders are required to care for their people.
5. The prominent metaphor of the body implies membership.

This week's sermons: "Declare His Glory Among the Nations"

The sixth and final message in the series "Psalms: Thinking and Feeling with God"

The Psalms speak to all of life. They help us in guilt and discouragement. They show us how to praise when our hearts are full. They guide us when we've been wronged.

But there is something missing. God did not make known his ways or reveal his glory or display his marvelous works for us alone, or for our ethnic group alone. He did it for all the peoples—every tongue, tribe, and nation.

He summons us to sing, and in doing so to summon the nations to sing a new song with us. And at the center of our singing for all eternity will be our global Savior, the God-man, the Lamb who was slain.

This Week's Sermon: "Pour Out Your Indignation Upon Them"

Part 5 of the series "Psalms: Thinking and Feeling with God"

Psalms that curse can make us squirm.

Is this really in the Bible? What about Jesus' command to love?

The key to understanding the imprecatory or cursing psalms is to see how they are handled by the New Testament authors—and even see them on the tongue of Jesus on the cross.

These psalms are both prophetic of God's judgment and reflective of the suffering of God's anointed. They help us to approve of God's judgment, anticipate the sacrifice of Christ, and incline our hearts toward forgiveness and forbearance.

Message Title: "Bless the Lord, O My Soul"

Part 4 from the series "Psalms: Thinking and Feeling with God."

Not only do the Psalms teach us how to be depressed well and how to feel guilt well, but they also help us deal well with God's goodness toward us.

Psalm 103 teaches us to "bless the Lord"—to praise God—and to do so in the presence of others.

This is one of the key ways in which we can impart trust in Jesus to a coming generation—especially a father to his children.

This week's sermon: "A Broken and Contrite Heart God Will Not Despise"

This is the 3rd part in the series "Psalms: Thinking and Feeling with God."

Being crushed with guilt can be good. Psalm 51 teaches us what it's like and how to be crushed with guilt well.

Christians get discouraged. We sin and feel miserable about it. But we are connected by faith to Jesus. This shapes how we think and feel about our sin and guilt.

Being a Christian means being broken. It marks the life of God’s happy children until they die. Brokenness is the flavor of Christian joy and praise and witness.

This week's sermon: "Spiritual Depression in the Psalms"

Part 2 of the series, "Psalms: Thinking and Feeling with God"

The end of Psalm 42 isn't happy, but it is hopeful. The psalmist is in duress. There are tears and turmoil. His soul is downcast, and he asks God Why?

He's fighting for hope. He thirsts for God and affirms God's love and preaches good news to himself. And even in the midst of his great discouragement, he has the wherewithal to sing.

Audio is available for John Piper’s two messages at New Attitude on Memorial Day:

• William Tyndale: A Life Transformed by God’s Word
• Fighting for Faith with God’s Word

This week's sermon: "Songs That Shape the Heart and Mind"

Part 1 of the series, "Psalms: Thinking and Feeling with God"

The Psalms couple instruction with emotion. In ancient Israel, they shaped both the hearts and minds of kings and prophets and soldiers and farmers. Likewise, God designed the Psalms to shape the heart and mind of his church today.

Psalm 1 opens this great songbook by zeroing in on delight in God's word. The righteous are those who are watered by the river of the gospel, which swells with the perfect life and atoning death of Jesus Christ.

Adrian Warnock interviewed John Piper while he was in Wales for New Word Alive. The interview is available in four video segments:

• On New Word Alive
• On Passionate Preaching
• On Prayer and Bible Study
• On Favorite Preachers and His Call to Pastor

What does Paul mean when he says we will get glory? He prays “that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him” (2 Thessalonians 1:12). In what sense will we be glorified in Jesus?

Don Carson provides an insightful explanation in A Call to Spiritual Reformation.

First, a challenge related to what Paul does not mean:

The Christian’s whole desire, at its best and highest, is that Jesus Christ be praised. It is always a wretched bastardization of our goals when we want to win glory for ourselves instead of for him.... Lying at the heart of all sin is the desire to be the center, to be like God. So if we take on Christian service, and think of such service as the vehicle that will make us central, we have paganized Christian service; we have domesticated Christian living and set it to servitude in a pagan cause. (57–58)

So then, what does it mean for us to be glorified in Christ?

Paul is well aware of God’s urgent insistence, ‘I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another’ (Isa. 42:8). But there is another shading to glory that makes it entirely appropriate to talk of the Christian’s glorification.... [O]ur glorification itself becomes the most spectacular means of bringing him glory.... Christ is glorified, he receives the praise that is his due, as we are glorified, as we are conformed to his likeness. On the last day, Jesus Christ will be glorified in us on account of what we have become by his grace, and we will be glorified in him on account of what he has done for us. (58–59)

Our glory will not be one that competes with Christ's. There is “another shading to glory”—a shade of glory in us that serves to magnify the glory of Christ and what he has accomplished for us.

It’s been a busy spring for Pastor John.

Between two clusters of spring events, this year’s writing leave is an especially welcomed change of pace.

March and April took John to San Luis-Obispo for the Desiring God Regional Conference, to Wales for New Word Alive, and to Louisville for Together for the Gospel. All this in the midst of pastoring and bringing the new birth sermon series to a close.

After his leave, John is scheduled to begin a new sermon series, return to Louisville on Memorial Day to speak at New Attitude, and join a colloquium of pastors outside Chicago connected with The Gospel Coalition.

But for now: writing.

John wrote the following last week to ask for prayer from Bethlehem Baptist and Desiring God:

Dear praying friends,

For the next four weeks (April 22–May 22), I will be holed up working on a couple books, one on marriage and the other on regeneration. O how I need God’s help through your prayers. There is a world of difference between God-anointed work and just plain hard work. Thank you for praying for truth and wisdom and love and humility and penetrating, compelling expression. . . .

Leaning on grace through your prayers,

Pastor John

Here's a list of forthcoming books, some of which he is working on during this leave.

• History’s Most Spectacular Sin booklet (June, 2008)
• Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ (September, 2008)
• Rethinking Retirement: Finishing Life for the Glory of God (September, 2008)
• John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God (January, 2009)
• A book on Marriage (no title or publication date yet)
• A book on Regeneration (no title or publication date yet)

Please join us in praying that God would graciously anoint John Piper during this season of communing with God and writing for the joy of all peoples.

This week's sermon: "I'm Sending You to Open Their Eyes"

Only God can cause the new birth. Only God can open blind eyes and awaken the dead.

But he tasks his people with the impossible. He sends them to open the eyes of the spiritually blind.

How? What role can mere humans play in the new birth of others?

The New Testament is crystal clear: Telling the gospel. Gospel-telling is the essential means that God uses to bring about the new birth.

This final sermon in the series on new birth ends with ten practical encouragements for gospel-telling.

This week's sermon: "The New Birth Produces Love"

The new birth and love for others are deeply connected.

For one, God is the one who brings about the new birth. Those who are born of God have his nature in them, and his nature is love. Therefore, those who are born again love others like the one who bore them. It's in their DNA.

Secondly, God not only is love, but he has demonstrated his love in history by sending his Son to bear his just wrath for those who will believe in him. The love of God has triumphed over the wrath of God in the Son of God.

And this most magnificent manifestation of love is the gospel word that brings about the new birth and permeates the new life of the born again. Therefore, the born again love. The nature of God as love that is seen in the sending of his Son is the very nature that has been put in the born again as an internal impulse. Those who are born of God can't help but love others like the God who sent his Son for them.

How then do we love others? We don't despise the goodness we see in our brothers but commend it, and we give of ourselves—even at great cost—to meet others' needs.

This week's sermon: "No One Born of God Makes a Practice of Sinning"

Being born again doesn't mean being sinless. In fact, no Christian is sinless. That's why we have an Advocate in Jesus (1 John 2:1).

How then are the born again to deal with their sinfulness?

Many oscillate between two dangerous extremes. One extreme is presumption. We may slip into a lukewarm, careless frame of mind about our own sinfulness. We start to coast or to become indifferent to whether we are holy. We lose our vigilance against bad attitudes and behaviors—and start to settle in with sinful patterns of behavior.

The other extreme is despair. We may sink down in fear and discouragement that our righteousness, our love for people, and our fight against sin are just not good enough. Our conscience condemns us, and our deeds seem so imperfect that they could never prove that we are born again.

But there is redemptive power in God's word. By God's word and the work of his Spirit, the born-again person is awakened to the dangers of presumption and despair and flies to Jesus, our Advocate, for mercy and forgiveness and righteousness.

Embrace the warning and the comfort.