Today we read about Ananias and Sapphira in Act 5:1-16. Here are insights from John Piper, in a sermon “Be Like Barnabas, Not Like Ananias!” Ananias and Sapphira stand for the exact opposite, namely, people who have not really been changed on the inside by being satisfied with all that God is for them in … More John Piper: faking faith in the presence of God is a fearful thing.
Today we read Acts 4:1-22. In verse 12, Peter proclaimed, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Here are words from John Piper, in a sermon, “There is Salvation in No One Else” Peter pushed the universality … More One way … no other name
In our Bible reading we finish Acts 2 today. Verse 23 says, “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” John Piper, in a sermon,“Did You Kill the Lord of Glory?” I can hear a superficial cynic respond to this … More God’s Plan vs Pilate’s Plan
And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not … More Diversity of languages and Gospel-spreading
Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. —Acts 1:16 John Piper, in a sermon, What Judas’s Death Teaches Us About the Spirit, tells of the invincible purpose of the Holy Spirit: God wants us … More The invincibility of God’s purpose
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. —Psalm 2:11 ESV Does this mean that our joy in the Lord is on shaky ground? Do we have reason to be afraid? This is not the only place in the Bible where we will see seemingly contrary commands. The Bible describes Christ’s … More Rejoice with trembling
In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing … More More than a doctor
Thank you for joining us on our read-through-the-Bible journey this year! I hope you will start up again in January! I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but … More This is the last chapter of the Bible, and this is the last duty of man:
Merry Christmas! I hope and pray that you have seen and known more of God through the reading of His Word this year. As you sing and celebrate the coming of Jesus, here is a segment (rather long, but worth it!) of a sermon from Malachi (our final Old Testament reading for today) that helps … More Sun of Righteousness
Today we finish our readings in Job. Here are insights from John Piper, in a sermon on Job 42, “Job:Reversal in Suffering” Neither bad theology (in the words of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) nor good theology (in the words of Elihu) gives us the knowledge of God which changes a person’s heart. “Taste and see … More Savoring the sweetness of God
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 