Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil, for he gives to his beloved in his sleep. (Psalm 127:1-2)

Pastor John from 1980:

I think the main point of these three verses is: "Don't eat the bread of anxious toil." It means just the same thing Jesus meant when he said, "Don't be anxious about what you shall eat."

When we grow up we must all work for our bread. And we can either work nervously, worrying about what men will think of us — and so eat the bread of anxious toil. Or we can work with serenity in…

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In this video, Francis Chan exhorts us to persevere in our pursuit of God:

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Other videos from Francis Chan —

• Francis Chan on Making Disciples and Knowing Christ
• Francis Chan's Question on Which Is Worse
• Think Hard, Stay Humble: The Life of the Mind and the Peril of Pride

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (Romans 8:35)

Pastor John from 2002:

Notice three things in verse 35.

1. Christ is loving us now.

A wife might say of her deceased husband: Nothing will separate me from his love. She might mean that the memory of his love will be sweet and powerful all her life. But that is not what Paul means here. In Romans 8:34 it says plainly, "Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." The reason Paul can say that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ is bec…

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Henry Scougal:

It is true, religion in the souls of men is the immediate work of God, and all our natural endeavors can neither produce it alone, nor merit those supernatural aids by which it must be wrought: the Holy Ghost must come upon us, and the power of the Highest must overshadow us, before that holy thing can be begotten, and Christ be formed in us:

But yet we must not expect that this whole work should be done without any concurring endeavours of our own: we must not lie loitering in the ditch, and wait till Omnipotence pull us from thence;

no, no! we must bestir ourselves to our utmost capacities, and then we may hope that, ‘our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord ‘ (1 …

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In this three-minute video, Dave Harvey talks about church planting, missions, and how we overcome the unbiblical brand that all ambition is bad:

Dave Harvey, Jeff Vanderstelt, and Ed Stetzer will be speaking on church planting at our upcoming National Conference, "Finish the Mission: For the Joy of All Peoples."

For the reduced rate, register for the conference tonight before 11:59 PM (CDT).

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"Providence" is not a word we commonly use.

This is true today and it was true in 1995 when John Piper introduced a ten-part course at Bethlehem Baptist Church on "The Providence of God."

The ten messages were recorded on cassettes that we have recently discovered and converted to MP3s. Apart from some delays in pressing the "Record" button back in '95, the entire audio has been pieced together and is now available for free download.

Stream or download the course, The Providence of God:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8
• Part 9
• Part 10

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Recent posts from "Expository Exultation" —

• Spiritual Warfare and Prayer
• Five Reasons to Memorize…

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Theology Refresh is a new podcast for pastors hosted by David Mathis, executive assistant to John Piper. The aim of the podcast is to sharpen and refresh spiritual leaders on key aspects of theology that are useful for everyday Christian ministry.

This 20-minute episode is the second part of a two-part discussion with John Piper on the gospel and sanctification, including the practical dynamics of how faith in the gospel relates to faith in God's future grace.

Download or stream the podcast.

[Subscribe to Theology Refresh through iTunes.]

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Recent Theology Refresh podcasts —

• John Piper on the Gospel and Sanctification (Part 1)
• Francis Chan on the Sovereignty of God

By grace, Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ.

This applies in a special way to the complaints often heard from pastors and zealous members about their congregations. A pastor should never complain about his congregation, certainly never to other people, b…

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Pastor John from 1988:

From the first coming of Christ to the second coming of Christ the strategy of our mission is incarnation. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He left one place and went to another place. He gave up the glories and comforts of his heavenly home in order to go where the people were and tell them about the Father. And he said, "As the Father has sent me so send I you."

Bethlehem's mission in Minneapolis must never be mainly a come and see mission. It must be a go and tell mission. Suppose that all 1,000 of you had just arrived on the scene in Minneapolis as a team of tent-making missionaries. You know what they are — people who will work at secular jobs t…

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Theology Refresh is a new podcast for pastors hosted by David Mathis, executive assistant to John Piper since 2006 and editor or contributer to a number of books, including recent release, Don't Call It a Comeback.

The aim of the podcast, in David's words, "is to sharpen and refresh spiritual leaders on key aspects of theology that are useful for everyday Christian ministry."

In this episode David Mathis conducts Part 1 of an interview with John Piper on the gospel and sanctification.

Download or stream the podcast.

[Subscribe to Theology Refresh through iTunes.]

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Recent Theology Refresh podcasts:

• Francis Chan on the Sovereignty of God