Sermons like these face us with a crucial question: Will we praise God's power and bow in glad submission or will we resist God's power and shake our fists?

God is sovereign over all things. Not a little bit sovereign. Not maybe-sorta-kinda sovereign. But absolutely sovereign. Everything that has happened or will happen is purposed by God to happen.

As a theological trademark of Bethlehem Baptist Church, John Piper expounds the biblical portrait of God's sovereignty and gives seven exhortations for why it is a precious foundational truth.

Stream or download this week's sermon.

Do you know what it means that God is your Father?

R W Glenn believes that many Christians miss out on experiencing the wonderful reality that we are truly loved. Because of Jesus, God's wrath toward us is turned away. We wake up each day accepted as his sons and daughters. "God has no reservations about us whatsoever and he marshals all of his omnipotence to do us good."

In the latest episode of Theology Refresh, David Mathis talks with Glenn about the vital doctrine of God's fatherhood, and even the sinister motivations behind rejecting this truth.

Stream or download this 14-minute podcast.

[Subscribe to Theology Refresh through iTunes.]

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Previous interviews from Theology Re…

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Thanks to everyone who joined us for this weekend's seminar on A Hunger for God.

The notes from Pastor John are now available (PDF) and the full audio and video will be added to the site soon.

 

The goal of missions is the worldwide worship of Jesus Christ. And that's what our new book, Finish the Mission, is all about.

Approaching the topic in a refreshing way, this book, edited by John Piper and David Mathis, encourages readers to take up the mantle of the Great Commission and its Spirit-powered completion.

Right now Westminster Bookstore is offering Finish the Mission for $8.50 (50% off the regular price). But this deal is only available for one week. So if you're interested, click over and get it today.

May the Lord use this book to breathe fresh missionary fire into a new generation, as together we seek to reach the unreached and engage the unengaged for the glory o…

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Dear Friends,

Why was John Calvin so mastered by the majesty of God? What kind of ministry did this produce?

In addition to the short Reformation Day video we made available today, we're offering three free ebooks to help you dig deeper into the life of John Calvin.

• With Calvin in the Theater of God
• John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God
• Portrait of Calvin by T. H. L. Parker (foreword by John Piper)

We like to think of Hebrews 11 as a divine summons for us to read Christian biography. Flawed but faith-fueling saints. Stories of grace. Deep inspiration. Some of the most worthy entertainment in the world are the stories of men of whom the world was not worthy.

Jo…

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This Friday and Saturday, November 2–3, John Piper will be leading a seminar on the theme of A Hunger for God. The seminar, totaling five hours of teaching, is completely free. Online registration is closed, but there is still space available on a first-come, first-serve basis if you'd like to register onsite.

But if you can't make it in person, no worries. The entire event will be live-streamed at www.desiringGod.org/live.

• Friday night: 8:00pm–10:00pm (EDT)
• Saturday morning: 10:00am–1:00pm (EDT)

Whether on the ground in Minneapolis or over the web, we'd love for you to join us this weekend!

Here's Pastor John's invitation:

More information regarding the schedule and recommended hotels.

"Never has God's voice been so easily accessible," writes John Piper, urging Christians to prefer Bible apps over the abounding options out there.

Resolve that today you will press the Bible app three times during the day. No five times. Ten times! Maybe you will lose control and become addicted to Bible! Again and again get a two-minute dose of life-giving Food. Man shall not live by Facebook alone.

A true leader in the market, YouVersion is ranked as the first Bible app in iTunes with over 50 million downloads and 144 languages. They have a five-star rating based on over half a million reviews worldwide. And best of all, it's completely free (see on iTunes or Google Play).

One neat…

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"Missions exists because worship doesn't." "Prayer is a war-time walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom." "Suffering is not just the price many must pay, it is God's strategy for victory."

These are not merely pithy statements from John Piper. They are explosive truths from the Bible that have shaped a generation of missionaries. For the last 30 years, during Bethlehem's annual focus on global outreach, Pastor John has preached a sermon on taking the gospel to the unreached peoples of the world.

Connected to a missions legacy dating back to the 1800s, Piper passes on the mantle to Jason Meyer in his most recent sermon. He highlights ten biblical convictions that drive Bethlehem's commi…

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We are beggars. This is true.

Those were the final words Martin Luther scribbled on a piece of paper just before he died on February 18, 1546. His last words echoed the life-changing truths he'd unearthed in the Scriptures — first life-changing, then civilization-altering.

Beggars, indeed, because God justly demands a righteousness sinful humans cannot produce. A righteousness, in fact, that if we could produce would nullify the grace of God and make Jesus's death be for no purpose (Galatians 2:23). Embodying deep devotion to the Scriptures, Luther came to understand that we need an alien righteousness for divine acceptance — a righteousness given to us by another.

And this life-chang…

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Fast approaching is a cultural moment we should not miss for trying to help people see Jesus Christ.

America may be post-Christian, but Christmas is graciously stubborn. There it is in December, immovable. God has mercifully ordained that much of our economy depends on a cultural remembrance of the birth of the Messiah. God employs irony by using the power of unrighteous mammon to force pagan Westerners to look at Jesus. Yes, he may be obscured by a lot of godless glitz and noise. But God has not been fully eclipsed by gaud.

It is the only time of the year you will walk through a mall and hear “Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!” or “Joy to the world! The Lord has come! …

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