John Piper asks: Now how does Jesus’ parable in Luke 18:1–8 encourage us to keep on praying earnestly when prayer week is over? A widow comes to an unjust judge and pleads for help. She is being oppressed unjustly and wants him to use his authority to seek her relief. That’s us, the widow. Weak, … More Wearing out the Judge?
The Setting of Nehemiah’s Covenant Reaffirmation About 445 BC Nehemiah had brought a group of Israelites from captivity in Persia back to Jerusalem, and with them had rebuilt the walls of the city in spite of tremendous opposition from surrounding peoples. The wall is completed at the end of chapter 6. Chapter 7 gives the … More Nehemiah 9: Inexhaustible Grace
John Piper, in the introduction to the sermon, “Is the Kingdom Present or Future?” Luke 17:20-21 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, … More The kingdom of God: a future reality to be hoped for or a present reality to experience now?
Phillip Graham Ryken writes in Thermelios: Ezra also had a mind for biblical truth. Perhaps the best example comes from Nehemiah 8, where Ezra gathers the Israelites to renew the covenant in Jerusalem. The heart of that renewal was the reading and preaching of God’s Word. Ezra gathered people in the square in front of the … More One of our first and best models for expository preaching…
John Piper, in a sermon, “Wonderful Things From Your Word” Consider 2 Timothy 2:7. The NASB has “Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” Literally it is, “Think about (noei) what I say.” Does this mean that understanding Paul’s teaching is simply a human, natural enterprise of thinking? No. The … More But don’t replace thinking with praying. Think and pray. Pray and think.
Matt Chandler on the Ten Lepers of Luke 17: “On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them … More The Thankful Leper
Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. John Piper, in a 1987 sermon, “The Pleasure of God in Public Justice” The implications here are very far-reaching. But let’s get the specific picture clear in our minds. Suppose you were a merchant in the Old … More False Balances
2 Timothy 1:8 Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but take your share of suffering for the gospel in the power of God. John Piper, in a sermon, “Battling the Unbelief of Misplaced Shame” What this text says is that if you feel shame for testifying … More Battling the Unbelief of Misplaced Shame
“Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.”–Nehemiah 4:9. C.H. Spurgeon comments: The text begins with a long word, “nevertheless.” If we pull it to pieces, we get three words, never the less; when certain things happen, we will pray never the less; on the contrary, … More …nevertheless, but all the more….
John Piper, in a sermon, “Camaraderie in the Fight of Faith”- Let me suggest five reasons why the fight of faith is a good fight and not a bad one. Because the Enemy Is Evil First, it is a good fight because the enemy is evil. The enemy is unbelief and the Satanic forces behind … More Fight the GOOD Fight!
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 