Ask Pastor John

Did the biblical writers expect Jesus to return at any moment, or were they waiting for certain events to take place before the end would come?

The greatest ache of the human heart is not to have wealth, comfort, or power, but to see and savor the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Why was Jesus born a Jew? The incarnation undercuts all ethnic boasting and throws people from every tribe, tongue, and nation on the mercy of a Jewish man from Nazareth.

If we don’t see much success in a career we thought God called us to, did we misread his call?

Whether a church is healthy or needs revitalization, every local congregation needs a consistent window to the greatness and glory of God from the pulpit.

Singing together is never just a formality in a church service. God uses truth in song to sustain, encourage, and recharge his people.

Every believer is already new in Christ, and yet vestiges of our old selves remain. We must fight every day to become who we already are.

The burdens and drudgery of life may feel like walls keeping you from joy. But inside these walls, God Almighty is working for your everlasting good.

If God made everything good, then do we honor him just by using what he has made? Pastor John explains the essential steps to God-honoring feasting.

Every single one of us can look over our lives and find failures we regret. How do we deal with remorse in light of God’s mercy?

Our culture saturates itself with entertainment that hardly gives a passing thought to God. Should Christians consume such media?

When you discover that God is not only perfectly glorious, but that everything he does is for his glory, your life may get flipped upside down.

Sexual desire doesn’t begin and end with physical attraction. God made us to cherish inner beauty and glory, not just looks that pass with age.

If heaven is a world of love, with no grief or pain or loss, then will we have any need to pray to God once we are there?

Only the grace of supernatural delight can empower us to resist the allure of sin’s constant temptations.

If someone’s sexual desires are low to the point of indifference, should he or she still be open to marriage down the road?

The Bible stresses repeatedly the power and greatness of Jesus’s name. But why does it emphasize his name, and not just his person?

If Jesus promises that his yoke is easy and his burden light, then why do some people struggle so much to put their faith in him?

If God created us for good works and wants us to labor diligently, then how do we determine when our career has become an idol?

If your job requires you to work on Sundays, how do you honor the Lord’s Day? Pastor John offers three pieces of counsel.

Every Protestant owes a debt of gratitude to the Reformers, especially for one of their most precious gifts to us: expository exultation.

Christians should judge a book not by the color of its author or the number of its century, but by the God-exalting or God-ignoring content of its pages.

As we sit under preaching in our churches, what matters most is not how eloquent the teacher is, but how much truth shines forth in his content.

Sermons are more than a transfer of facts and stories. They are a part of worship that God uses to work miracles in both the preacher and the people.

With all the demands on our time, how can young families pace themselves to run the marathon of life without burning out halfway through?

God’s sovereignty is his right and power to do whatever he pleases. God’s providence is his wise and purposeful sovereignty.

If God has given you elders in your local church and brothers and sisters in Christ, then why should you bother seeking wisdom from this podcast?

God may not reveal every detail we want to know about our future, but he does promise to walk with us and direct our steps.

Our culture may celebrate sin and stifle truth, but that doesn’t mean we should lose hope. God can still grant an awakening.

If we believe in the sovereignty of God, then how do we explain friends or prominent leaders who turn their backs on Jesus?

Our song choices influence our churches nearly as much as our sermons. If we don’t choose our music with care, we aren’t shepherding well.

False teachers threaten churches all over the world. Every Christian, and especially pastors, should know how to respond to their danger.

A wife’s submission to her husband is qualified submission. She follows Jesus first, and then does whatever she can to honor her husband’s leadership.

The Bible describes degrees of happiness for the saints in heaven. Does that mean there are degrees of despair in hell?

If John Piper wants Christians to find their ultimate happiness and joy in God, why hasn’t he ever told a joke from the pulpit?

We make plans and prepare for what’s ahead, but only God orders our steps. Pastor John shares his path toward a lifetime of fruitful ministry.

The Bible commands us to be baptized, but what does the water actually do? Does it save us, like 1 Peter 3:21 appears to say?

Pastor John recently finished a book on the providence of God — the purposeful sovereignty of a heavenly Father who loves and cares for his children.

God has called us sons and daughters, but his people sometimes talk as if we were still slaves. What does it mean to talk like children of God?

When we are saved, we’re united to Christ by the Spirit. Our old self — our unbelieving, rebellious, sin-loving self — dies, and we live by the Spirit.

Jesus said, “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.” Are we disobeying Jesus if we don’t literally give away all that we have?

How can we forgive others who have hurt us deeply? Pastor John gives three practical suggestions for pursuing forgiveness.

The fall has made childbirth painful and dangerous. But in Christ, the deepest dangers of the curse have been removed.

God keeps his children through midlife crises by empowering them to keep fighting to be kept.

What role does God play in the redemption and damnation of sinners? Is he just as sovereign over both?

A godly father will want to show God the Father to his children. He will want to model for them the heart of Jesus.

If God created the world to display the fullness of his attributes, would he have been less glorious without creation?

We go from a rebel against the King to a child of the King. God’s attitude toward us completely changes. But does he still get angry at us when we sin?

Both Calvinists and Arminians see grace as powerful and necessary, but not in the same way. Pastor John gets at the heart of the theological divide.

If you are a Christian, then you have the Holy Spirit. But is this the same as being baptized in the Holy Spirit? Pastor John explains the difference.