Piper: Having true faith in God is no guarantee of comfort and security in this life.

John Piper, in a sermon on Hebrews 11:29-38, “Faith to Be Strong and Faith to Be Weak” God does not always work miracles and acts of providence for our deliverance from suffering; sometimes by faith God sustains his people through sufferings. That’s the point of verses 35b-38. Or another way to put it would be … More Piper: Having true faith in God is no guarantee of comfort and security in this life.

Already/Not Yet

Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. We come to yet another passage of Scripture where we see the work of Christ in our lives as “already/not yet” He HAS perfected those who are being perfected…. He HAS sanctified those who are being sanctified… … More Already/Not Yet

If you love the mercy of God and admit the misery of your own condition, you will love this.

Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence … More If you love the mercy of God and admit the misery of your own condition, you will love this.

When your conscience rises up and condemns you, where will you turn?

John Piper on Hebrews 9: So here we are in the modern age, the age of science, space travel—E-mail, heart transplants, instant replays, beepers, 911—and our problem is fundamentally the same as always: our consciences condemn us and make us feel unacceptable to God. We are alienated from God. We don’t feel good enough to … More When your conscience rises up and condemns you, where will you turn?

How to deal with the old, strange and foreign when you read your Bible

John Piper, on coming to something in the Bible that is ” Old and Strange and Foreign to Me”(as in Hebrews 8 ) It’s almost inevitable that people who live in the modern world of computers and jets and television and antibiotics will read these verses with a sense of tremendous foreignness. That is not my world, … More How to deal with the old, strange and foreign when you read your Bible

Our future eternal salvation hangs on Christ’s future eternal intercession for us.

Hebrews 7:25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. John Piper, in a sermon on Hebrews 7, “Jesus: From Melchizedek to Eternal Savior” Verses 1-24 may be complex and difficult to understand without earnest mental effort, but … More Our future eternal salvation hangs on Christ’s future eternal intercession for us.

Why do you need to know about Melchizedek?

Pastor Steven Cole begins and concludes a sermon on Hebrews 7:1-10 with these comments: Most of you would probably admit that you’re not highly motivated to learn about Melchizedek. You’ve got marriage problems, problems with your kids, financial problems, personal problems, and other practical needs. Why in the world would you be interested in learning … More Why do you need to know about Melchizedek?

Is the anchor of my soul as firmly attached to my soul as it is to the altar of God?

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,  where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. John Piper, in a sermon,”Hope Anchored in Heaven,” on Hebrews 6:19-20: … More Is the anchor of my soul as firmly attached to my soul as it is to the altar of God?

Daily Diligence

John Piper, in a sermon on Hebrew 4:11, “Be Diligent to Enter God’s Rest” “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience.” In other words, Israel fell from the promised joy of God because of the disobedience of unbelief. And the same thing can … More Daily Diligence