Jesus is the Lord of lords and King of kings, and when he died he purchased peace.

This excerpt starts at the 25:28 mark of this week's sermon.

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." (John 20:19)

John Piper explains what this means for you, now:

This excerpt starts at the 6:49 mark of this week's sermon.

Get a free download of this new poster (PDF) from John Piper's article on ten results of the resurrection:

1. A savior who can never die again. "For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again." Romans 6:9
2. Repentance. "The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel." Acts 5:31
3. New birth. "By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3
4. Forgiveness of sin. "If Christ has not been raised, your hope is futile and you are still in your sins." 1 Corinthians 15:17
5. The Holy Spirit. …

Continue Reading →

Pastor John explains:

This excerpt starts at the 28:20 mark of this week's sermon.

"This achievement was the greatest achievement that the Father and Son ever accomplished."

John Piper explains:

This excerpt starts at the 24:24 mark of this week's sermon.

"Part of Christ-like Christian living is turmoil of soul."

John Piper explains:

This excerpt starts at the 37:44 mark of this week's sermon.

John Piper writes in Future Grace,

I have often told young people that they must fight fire with fire. The fire of lust's pleasures must be fought with the fire of God's pleasures. If we try to fight the fire of lust with prohibitions and threats alone — even the terrible warnings of Jesus — we will fail. We must fight it with a massive promise of superior happiness. We must swallow up the little flicker of lust's pleasure in the conflagration of holy satisfaction. When we "make a covenant with our eyes," like Job did (Job 31:1), our aim is not merely to avoid something erotic, but also to gain something excellent. . . .

The key is the power of promises. When we are entranced by the preci…

Continue Reading →

"Today is one of the best days of my seminary life." So wrote John Piper in his journal on Wednesday, March 24, 1971, during his final semester at Fuller Seminary.

On that Monday, March 22, "Dr. Schaper called me and asked me to speak in chapel today," he explained. "I agreed to and went straight to God, and all I did from that phone call until chapel this morning (except go to 2 classes) was pray, think, and write for the sermon I gave."

The team at Desiring God just recently came across this 40-year-old recording, and we now have made it available as the oldest Piper message on the site. This is one of the very first messages Pastor John preached. He graciously gave us permission to po…

Continue Reading →

"End times" is a little like "free food" — throw the words in a headline and it'll make you look twice. For many Christians, it's a hot topic. And it does have implications for our lives in this world.

Sam Storms recently discussed the different views of eschatology for a Theology Refresh interview — the podcast for pastors that refreshes important points of doctrine.

Stream or download this 14-minute interview.

Recommended resources on eschatology (or end times):

1. The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views, ed. Robert G. Clouse
2. The Gospel in Revelation, Graeme Goldsworthy
3. The Theology of the Book of Revelation, Richard Bauckham
4. The Returning King: A Guide to the Book o…

Continue Reading →

You can't speak of God's wrath the same way you speak of his love.

But why not?

In this 12-minute interview, Don Carson explains the wrath of God and counsels pastors in how to minister its truth:

Stream or download the audio and video of the podcast.

Recommended resources on the wrath of God:

• Sinners in the Hands of a Good God, David Clotfelter
• Chapter 15, "The Wrath of God" in Knowing God, J. I. Packer
• The Unbeliever's Unhappy Position, by Charles Spurgeon, Sermon #1012
• “Vengeance Is Mine, I Will Repay,” Says the Lord, Sermon from John Piper (2005)
• "The Wrath of God" by D. A. Carson, in Engaging the Doctrine of God: Contemporary Protestant Perspectives, edited by Br…

Continue Reading →