Paul's burden for Timothy is straightforward: Embrace suffering for the gospel instead of running away from it.

In this last letter before his death, the apostle grounds Timothy's endurance in five unshakable foundations — foundations that all Christians should build at the bottom of their lives.

1. Jesus Christ, the son of David, is risen from the dead and reigns over the world forever.
2. Preachers may be bound. The word of God is not.
3. God has his elect in this world, and your ministry will be the instrument that brings them to eternal glory.
4. God cannot deny himself. Trust him and your salvation is as sure as his commitment to his name.
5. A double-sided seal: “The Lord knows those who are his.” …

Continue Reading →

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 →

There is nothing more wonderful than seeing and nothing more horrible than blindness.

But I’m not talking about physical blindness. Some whose physical eyes can’t see can see far, far better than others whose head-eyes see just fine (John 9:39). It’s blindness to glory—spiritual blindness—that is so horrible, so impoverishing to the soul.

That’s because “the deepest longing of the human heart is to know and enjoy the glory of God. We were made for this.”¹ To the degree that we do not see the glory of God, we live in the shadow-lands, wondering why our lives and affections seem so thin, why nothing satisfies.

Perhaps the greatest blinder of our spiritual eyes is our self-obsess…

Continue Reading →

"How we listen reveals who we are," Tony explains, is at the heart of the new eBook, Take Care How You Listen. This resource is the first wave of a new eBook initiative at Desiring God that repackages unedited sermons from John Piper on particular themes and makes them available for mobile devices.

And there's a little more on marriage, hip hop, and rafting down the Colorado River, all on this episode of Behind the Blog.

You can also listen here.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Husbands, Spend Time with Your Wife
• A Clear Job Description: Date Your Wife
• Take Care How You Listen (Free eBook)
• David Brainerd Biography (Fr…

Continue Reading →

In 1742 Yale College expelled David Brainerd.

He had made some prohibited comments about some of the faculty and, though at the top of his class academically, Yale booted him. Add to this that in order to be an established minister in Connecticut you had to be a graduate of Yale, Harvard, or a European university. Brainerd's dreams (and obedience!) to become a pastor came crashing down. It was very difficult, as John Piper explains, "Brained felt cut off from his life calling."

This is a hard fact to swallow. Tragic, it might seem, considering that David Brainerd died at the young age of 29. But here we are looking at his life, admitting there's a good story to be told, and retold. One…

Continue Reading →

We recently sat down with Justin Buzzard, lead pastor of Garden City Church in Silicon Valley, to discuss his newest book, Date Your Wife. We diced up the interview into a handful of segments that we'll be featuring over the next few weeks. In today's portion, Justin shares about why he wrote the book and its biblical undercurrent.

Read 20 quotes, watch the trailer, and get the book from Amazon or WTS Books.

One addition to Crossway's republication of Love Your Enemies is a new preface from John Piper in which he explains why this book is a monument to God's mercy and faithfulness. He writes,

Monuments are usually built much later than the event celebrated, in this case, the years 1971–1974 in Munich, Germany. Monuments are not about themselves. They remind. They point. In this case, to the mercy and faithfulness of God. Monuments are often made of plain, lifeless stone while representing something utterly vital and beautiful. In this case, a mere book representing the shining face of God and his mighty hand on my life in those days — and before. . .

To read the entire preface, or the e…

Continue Reading →

The YouVersion Bible app recently reached 50 million downloads. A true leader in the market, they provide a free Bible app in over 144 languages, are ranked as the first Bible app on iTunes, and have a 5-star rating based on over 400,000 ratings worldwide.

So we're excited to announce that they have just released a new devotional plan from John Piper.

The devotional is a 15-day reading plan that features content on the sovereignty of God, personal holiness, joy, and more. It comes in an easily accessible interface that allows users to read it alongside the Bible.

Learn more and download the app today: 15 Days in the Word with John Piper.

Skillful listening is a non-negotiable skill for everyone who enters a church building on Sunday or plays a sermon through headphones during the week. Scripture calls us not only to consider carefully what sermons we listen to, but also how we listen to those sermons.

It is very easy to slip into what Scripture calls “dullness of hearing,” to hear the weekly sermons without faith, and to see little or no moral fruit in our lives as a result. As Jesus makes clear, ultimately it is how we hear that reveals who we are (John 8:43, 47, 10:4, 27).

Take Care How You Listen is an ebook on listening well. It is comprised of five unedited sermon manuscripts from the preaching ministry of Past…

Continue Reading →

This excerpt from John Piper begins as the 43:44 mark of his most recent sermon.

Here's the transcript:

Don’t press the organization of the church or her pastors into political activism. Pray that the church and her ministers would feed the flock of God with the word of God centered on the gospel of Christ crucified and risen. Expect from your shepherds not that they would rally you behind political candidates or legislative initiatives, but they would point you over and over again to God and to his word, and to the cross.

Please try to understand this concluding point. When I warn you against politicizing me, or politicizing the institution called Bethlehem, or the church in genera…

Continue Reading →