The funeral sermon I preached at my father’s funeral was built around his own sermon, titled “Saved, Safe, Satisfied,” from his book A Good Time and How to Have It. Safe refers to the security of every true believer in Christ. Those whom God saves, God keeps. Satisfied refers to our contentment in Christ himself, not first his gifts.

I made a link between “safe” and “satisfied.” The latter confirms the former. I based this on Philippians 3:12: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” In other words, the heart of the true Christian does not coast in a state of contented worldliness after conver…

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The following is John Piper’s journal entry narrating his father’s death on Tuesday, March 6, 2007.

The funeral is scheduled for Friday, March 9, 2007, at 2 p.m. at White Oak Baptist Church in Greenville, S. C. Visitation is 7:00-8:30 p.m. Thursday evening, March 8, 2007, at Mackey Mortuary on Century Drive in Greenville. All are welcomed to both.

John Piper will not be preaching this weekend at Bethlehem Baptist Church.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007. 2 a.m.

The big hospital clock in room 4326 of Greenville Memorial Hospital said, with both hands straight up, midnight. Daddy had just taken his last breath. My watch said 12:01, March 6, 2007.

I had slept a little since hi…

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Dr. Bill Piper
Obituary for the Greenville (S. C.) News, written by John Piper

William Solomon Hottle Piper, 88, of Shepherd’s Care, Greenville, S. C., died Tuesday, March 6, 2007. Widowed twice, he was preceded in death by Ruth M. Piper and LaVonne N. Piper. He leaves a daughter, Beverly Bowers, married to Bob; a son, John, married to Noël; seven grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; and thousands of spiritual children who trusted Jesus through his ministry.

In Bethlehem, Penn., Pastor Albert and Emma Piper had three sons, Harold, Elmer, and Bill. All three are now with the Lord Jesus.

Called as a fifteen-year-old, Bill Piper gave his life to full-time, itinerant, Christ-…

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Summary:

1. Jesus himself testified to his coming resurrection from the dead.

2. The tomb was empty on Easter.

3. The disciples were almost immediately transformed from men who were hopeless and fearful after the crucifixion (Luke 24:21, John 20:19) into men who were confident and bold witnesses of the resurrection (Acts 2:24, 3:15, 4:2).

4. Paul claimed that, not only had he seen the risen Christ, but that 500 others had seen him also, and many were still alive when he made this public claim.

5. The sheer existence of a thriving, empire-conquering early Christian church supports the truth of the resurrection claim.

6. The Apostle Paul’s conversion supports the truth of the resur…

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One of my joys during the sabbatical last spring in Cambridge was meeting with two of the authors of the upcoming book Pierced for Our Transgressions by Mike Ovey, Steve Jeffery and Andrew Sach. Their vision for the truth of what Christ achieved for us and what the needs are in British and American Evangelicalism were so compelling that I agreed to write the foreword for their book. I recommend the book to you. If you share the belief that we lose the gospel if we lose the substitutionary, wrath-averting triumph of the cross (Romans 8:3; Galatians 3:13; Isaiah 53:4-6) then you may want to order the book and visit their web site.

On December 21, 2005 when I was told to get a biopsy for pro…

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One more tribute to Wilberforce: The day the victory came, and how Wilberforce responded.

The night—or I should say early morning—of victory came in 1807. The moral vision and the political momentum for abolition had finally become irresistible. At one point “the House rose almost to a man and turned towards Wilberforce in a burst of Parliamentary cheers. Suddenly, above the roar of ‘Hear, hear,’ and quite out of order, three hurrahs echoed and echoed while he sat, head bowed, tears streaming down his face” (Pollock,Wilberforce, p. 211). At 4:00 A.M., February 24, 1807, the House divided—Ayes, 283, Noes, 16, Majority for the Abolition 267. And on March 25, 1807, the royal assent was dec…

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Here’s another tribute to Wilberforce on this historic anniversary. We should celebrate the unbounded joy that God gave him in spite of decades of defeat in Parliament:

James Stephen, recalled after Wilberforce’s death,

“Being himself amused and interested by everything, whatever he said became amusing or interesting. . . . His presence was as fatal to dullness as to immorality. His mirth was as irresistible as the first laughter of childhood” (Pollock,Wilberforce, p. 185).

Here is a great key to his perseverance and effectiveness. His presence was “fatal to dullness . . . [and] immorality.” In other words, his indomitable joy moved others to be happy and good. H…

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The movie about William Wilberforce opens today. I suppose that’s because, with the time zone difference, the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave is technically today. Actually it was 4 A.M. February 24, 1807. Wilberforce was the chief human instrument in God’s hands for overturning what he called “this horrid trade.” In honor of this anniversary it is fitting to take a few glimpses at the man.

Two glimpses encourage us to be ready to give our encouragements to good causes. John Newton, author of the hymn "Amazing Grace," and John Wesley gave crucial words to Wilberforce. Here’s a snapshot.

To resolve the anguish Wilberforce felt over what to do with his life as …

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Here is one of the truths we will try to unpack in the seminar this weekend on Prayer, Meditation, and Fasting.

Bread magnifies Christ in two ways: by being eaten with gratitude for his goodness, and by being forfeited out of hunger for God himself. When we eat, we taste the emblem of our heavenly food – the Bread of Life. And when we fast we say, “I love the Reality above the emblem.” In the heart of the saint both eating and fasting are worship. Both magnify Christ. Both send the heart – grateful and yearning – to the Giver. Each has its appointed place and each has its danger. The danger of eating is that we fall in love with the gift; the danger of fasting is that we belittle th

…

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Last Sunday’s sermon was originally misnamed “Marriage: Confronting, Forgiving, Forbearing.” In the end, I struck the word confronting—not because it shouldn’t happen, but because I had no time. So this is what I would have said if I there had been time. This will anticipate what is coming, Lord willing, this Sunday (2-25-07).

Focusing on forgiving and forbearing might give the impression that none of our sinful traits or annoying idiosyncrasies ever changes. So all we can do is forgive and forbear. What I plan to show from the Bible this coming weekend is that God gives grace not only to forgive and to forbear, but also to change so that less forgiving and forbearing are needed. That too …

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