Unpacking “Amen!”

John Piper explains: Now here comes Paul into Greek-speaking Corinth, and he teaches them about this word “Amen,” – just as if he were to come to us today with a new Hebrew word we didn’t know. What did he teach them? Well, we can see behind 1 Corinthians 14. Paul is concerned that the … More Unpacking “Amen!”

Satisfy us, O God!

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. —Psalm 90:13  As Moses prayed this prayer, he may have had in mind how God had provided for his people in the wilderness.  God satisfied the people each morning with manna.  Then with quail.  God even … More Satisfy us, O God!

Piper: Gifts are for the glory of God and the good of the church

“To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” —1 Corinthians 12 John Piper, in a sermon, “Living in the Spirit and in the Body for the Common Good” I think the main point of this passage is verse 7: “But to each one is given the manifestation of the … More Piper: Gifts are for the glory of God and the good of the church

Piper: Express the value of Christ by “remembering,” by “proclaiming,” and by “nourishing.”

John Piper, in a sermon, “The Lord’s Supper as Worship”, says that we express the value of Christ by “remembering,” by “proclaiming,” and by “nourishing.” Reminding First, the Lord’s Supper expresses the value of Christ by reminding us of him. Notice the word “remembrance” twice. Once in relation to the bread in verse 24 and … More Piper: Express the value of Christ by “remembering,” by “proclaiming,” and by “nourishing.”

Piper: The Two-Sided Error of the Corinthians

John Piper, in a sermon,”Idolatry, the Lord’s Supper, and the Body of Christ” What 1 Corinthians 10 is about is the way the Corinthians had overestimated the power of the Lord’s Supper as sacramental food, and had underestimated the purpose of the Lord’s Supper as spiritual fellowship with Christ. In other words, they saw eating … More Piper: The Two-Sided Error of the Corinthians

Sam Storms: Don’t apologize for that relentless and chronic ache for joy.

Some people are terrified of appearing needy. Obsessed with their public image and how they are perceived, they put on a false front of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Not David! That’s one of the things I admire most in the author of so many of these psalms. He is utterly unashamed to acknowledge before others his weakness … More Sam Storms: Don’t apologize for that relentless and chronic ache for joy.

Piper: Should we venture on God in ways that may look foolish?

John Piper, “The Gideon Venture,” a sermon when the church was considering a building project, sending out part of the congregation to plant a new church, and doing all of this without incurring debt…. …we began to meditate on God’s unusual ways of doing things in the Bible. We saw his strange ways everywhere. God … More Piper: Should we venture on God in ways that may look foolish?

Piper: Paul is a very unfashionable thinker

John Piper comments: [1 Corinthians 7] Verse 19 says literally, “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God (is everything).” That was about the most offensive thing Paul could say to a Jew: Circumcision is nothing. And if we understand its broad cultural application, it offends all of us. But … More Piper: Paul is a very unfashionable thinker