How does the cross and victory of Jesus affect your everyday sanctification?

Over the past 30 years John Piper has preached several messages that equip listeners to apply the Bible in their daily lives. Stretching three decades, this e-book includes three of those sermons that intend to mobilize the church in the fight against sin and the walk of faith. In addition to these sermons, there is a practical appendix of acronyms Pastor John uses in his own life and commends to others.

Whether fighting a specific sin or walking by faith amid stressful circumstances, the aim of this e-book is to add to your arsenal for the everyday work of sanctification, for the glory of God.

To downlo…

Continue Reading →

R W Glenn is one of the seminar speakers at our upcoming National Conference. Read his latest post and learn more about the conference at the events page.

________

Recent posts related to our National Conference:

• Sanctified By Doing Your Job (R W Glenn)
• Jumpstart Your Stalled Sanctification (David Mathis)
• Power in Weakness: Living Out the Miracle of Sanctification (Ed Welch)

It is all too common for Christians to think that service to God is something that takes place either in the context of the local church — teaching Sunday school, shoveling the church sidewalks, leading a small group — or something that brings explicitly Christian teaching into the world by using your job as a platform for sharing your faith with your friends and colleagues who aren’t yet Christians.

But it's here where the gospel rescues us. Check out this word from the Apostle Paul: “But we urge you, brothers… to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no on…

Continue Reading →

Has it ever seemed like your sanctification is plateauing? Ever felt like you were spinning your spiritual tires?

In such times—relax, we’ve all had them—you may run through the typical means-of-grace checklist, whether in your own mind or with a friend’s help. Am I reading the Bible? Praying? Invested in community with fellow Christians? It’s not a bad thing to do (even the pros do it), but maybe we’ve been overlooking something.

The Sanctifying Power of Mission

Have you considered that your spiritual lethargy might be because you’re keeping too much distance from the missional frontlines? Perhaps your sanctification seems stalled because your faith has been quarantined and, evangelis…

Continue Reading →

God’s action for us and in us through Christ is the foundation underneath our pursuit of practical maturity in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

God’s design for us to pursue practical maturity in the gospel didn't begin after we believed the gospel. Rather, it began when he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to believe the gospel in order that we would become conformed into the image of Christ.

So our obedience to the gospel is subsequent to and the consequence of God’s action for us and in us through Christ. Several texts teach this but let's consider, for example, Romans 8:28–30.

Paul asserts in verse 28 that “all things” work together for the good for those who lo…

Continue Reading →

When Paul says to put to death the deeds of the body “by the Spirit” (Romans 8:13), I take him to mean that we should use the one weapon in the Spirit’s armor that is used to kill. Namely, the sword. Which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

So when the body is about to be led into a sinful action by some fear or craving, we are to take the sword of the Spirit and kill that fear and that craving. In my experience that means mainly severing the root of sin’s promise by the power of a superior promise.

So, for example, when I begin to crave some illicit sexual pleasure, the sword-swing that has often severed the root of this promised pleasure is: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they …

Continue Reading →

I used to think my self-doubt and insecurity about writing were signs of my profound humility. It felt noble and heroic to be this full of agonizing self-doubt. It felt lowly and meek to be so tortured about whether or not I could write. I could almost hear the soundtrack and the violins. If there'd been open, windswept moors nearby, I'd have been on them.

But that's the thing about pride. It hides itself.

The more I go on, the more I realize, it's entirely the other way round. Our self-doubt and insecurity don't reveal our humility; they mask our pride.

When you’re doubting whether you can do it, whether you're a good writer, you're looking to yourself, what you can do, what resources…

Continue Reading →

In this five-minute video John Piper shares about some expected and unexpected ways that aging has worked in his experience of sanctification.

John Piper, along with Kevin DeYoung, Jarvis Williams, Russell Moore, and Ed Welch, will be the plenary speakers at our National Conference this September. Visit the event page to learn more and register.

________

Recent posts related to our National Conference:

• Fernando Ortega at Our National Conference (Video from John Piper)
• Teach Children the Bible Is Not About Them (Sally Lloyd-Jones)
• 100 Quotes from You on Sanctification (our readers)

This fall the Desiring God National Conference will wrestle with paradoxes. Not contradictions. Things like Philippians 2:12–13, “You work . . . for God is at work in you to will and work.” And 1 Corinthians 15:10, “I worked hard . . . but not I but the grace of God.”

We are commanded to repent (Acts 3:19), and God is said to grant repentance (2 Timothy 2:25). We are commanded to believe (Mark 1:15; John 14:1), and belief is said to be God’s gift (Philippians 1:29; Ephesians 2:8).

I saw another one in my daily Bible reading this morning. “I incline my heart to perform your statutes” (Psalm 119:100). “Incline my heart to your testimonies” (Psalm 119:36). I must incline my heart. I must …

Continue Reading →

When I go into churches and speak to children I ask them two questions:

First, how many people here sometimes think you have to be good for God to love you?

They tentatively raise their hands. I raise my hand along with them.

And second, how many people here sometimes think that if you aren’t good, God will stop loving you?

They look around and again raise their hands.

These are children in Sunday schools who know the Bible stories. These are children who probably also know all the right answers — and yet they have somehow missed the most important thing of all.

They have missed what the Bible is all about.

They are children like I once was.

As a child, even though I wa…

Continue Reading →