Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27 ESV Six Goals of Satan in Getting You to Hold Grudges by John Piper According to [Ephesians 4] verse 27 this is what Satan is watching for—the gap called … More Piper: Six Goals of Satan in Getting You to Hold Grudges
John Piper, in a sermon, “John the Baptist and the Brood of Vipers”- This is the meaning of repentance: a turning of the direction of our life and the affections of our heart, so that we become oriented on God and love the things he loves. John promises the people “forgiveness of sins” in response … More Repentance is a heart issue
Ephesians 4:17-21 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have … More There is an escape from futility!
In light of recent predictions of the end of the world and the rapture, many people just roll their eyes when they hear talk of “the coming of Christ” In Luke 2, we read of someone who had been eagerly waiting a lifetime to see Jesus. John Piper, in a sermon from Luke 2, “Preparing … More Are you eagerly waiting for Jesus’ coming?
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, … More When the massive weather front of God’s love meets the massive weather front of God’s power
John Piper: A Big God for a Little People—Luke 2:1–5 Have you ever thought what an amazing thing it is that God ordained beforehand that the Messiah be born in Bethlehem (as the prophecy in Micah 5 shows); and that he so ordained things that when the time came, the Messiah’s mother and legal father … More It is not our prosperity but our holiness that he seeks with all his heart.
John Piper asks us to: Picture in your mind a great, wise painter, painting on a huge canvas with many brushes, most of them very ordinary and messy. The painter is God, so you can’t picture him. He’s invisible. But he intends for his painting to be the visible display of his wisdom. He knows … More Painter? God….Brushes? Us!
I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart! —Psalm 119:32 When God enlarges our heart, we get a NEW heart. John Piper helps us understand: But forgiveness and cleansing is not enough. I need to be new. I need to be transformed. I need life. I need a new way … More God gives us big, new hearts
As we read in 1 Kings about Solomon’s construction of the Temple, we need to be reminded that it was a shadow. John Piper comments on this in an introduction to a message, “Jesus: Mediator of a Better Covenant” The tabernacle and temple were a shadow; the official priesthood was a shadow; the animal sacrifices … More These shadows will fall away
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV I love the way John Piper, in a sermon “But God,” ties this passages from Ephesians with … More O that men would reckon with God when their plight is hopeless!
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 