Desiring God Messages by John Piper Audio

In this sermon on Matthew 5:43–48, John Piper explains how the Great Commission helps us understand the command to love our enemies. He shows us the basis for the Golden Rule.

Loving God sustains us through all the joy and pain and perplexity and uncertainty of what loving our neighbor should be.

All of Scripture hangs on two great purposes: that God be loved with all our heart, and that we love each other as we love ourselves.

The link between our love and Christ’s is faith and the Spirit. Without the Spirit, we have no faith, and without both, we have no love.

Of all the great things that Easter means, it also means this: it is a mighty "I meant it!" behind Jesus' death.

God might have rescued us, sacrificed for us, forgiven us, and not gone any further. But instead he took us into his family.

God loved us while we were enemies. God sacrificed his Son for us while we were enemies.

The most worthy of living, the least worthy of dying. This is the life Jesus gave for you—that you might live.

If we are to grow in our love to one another, we must first experience Christ’s love as a deep, unshakable love.

God is love. The implications of this for the way we live are big.

Pouring ourselves out for others is the path of greatest satisfaction and joy.

Religious fervor is no substitute for righteous living. Our words and actions must flow from love for God and neighbor.

Jesus is not teaching on whether we should fast or not. He assumes we will and teaches us how to do it and especially how not to do it.

He delivered more than 600 sermons before he was 20 years old. He is the most prolific Christian author ever. He did the work of 50 men. And he suffered, yet endured.

Shall we long for the Christ less than Anna longed for him?

Perhaps the Christian church has not used all the spiritual resources available to us in the effort to overcome darkness.

Fasting is God's testing ground—and healing ground.

We have tasted the wine of Christ's presence by his Spirit and cannot now be satisfied until the consummation of joy arrives.

The course of history has been changed again and again through the fasting of God's people.

If our efforts to spread the gospel to the least reached will ever succeed, the mercy of God must be our motive and the glory of God must be our goal.

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Why does eternity exist? It exists because it will take that long for us to know the inexhaustible glories of God.

Believe on Jesus and you shall not perish but have eternal life.

God loves you so much that he gave his Son for you. If you believe in him, you’ll have eternal life.

Perishing means wrath; it means fiery torment; it means separation from God; and it lasts forever.

If God called you to his glory, he's going to get you to his glory.

Humility is what we need if we hope to find rest in the promises of God.

When the Chief Shepherd comes, he is going to call elders to account and say, "Did you feed my sheep?"

Great affliction + deep poverty + abundant joy = great generosity.

King Jesus stores his greatest joys for us not in the courtyard where the sun always shines, but deep in the cellars of affliction.

What did Peter mean when he wrote that the end of all things is at hand?

Love is the overflow of joy in God which meets the needs of others. Therefore, love begins with the grace of God.

To maintain joy in God, you must fight for it — but God has already won the victory in Jesus Christ. Therefore, you can fight even in the dark with gutsy guilt.

Every woman in Christ is a minister, but the pastorate is for biblically qualified men.

In our culture, having strong convictions is widely unpopular. However, despite the prevailing cultural sentiment, God calls us to speak courageously, even it if costs you your life.

Marriage is a parable of Christ and the church. When the husband copies Christ and the wife copies the church, something beautiful is shown to the world.

In a world where gender-leveling is advocated, we must resist the erosion of biblical manhood and womanhood.

The weakness of Christianity is not caused by people pursuing their own happiness but rather by the failure to pursue happiness with all of our might. We settle for pleasures that are too small.

What is the chief end of God? The chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy himself forever.

The Great Commission will not be completed without suffering.

The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Let's follow him.

In this sermon, John Piper shows us that Jesus shines bright when our hope is meek, fearless, well-defended, and zealous for good deeds.

The primary purpose of small groups is to help each other maintain the full assurance of faith.

Those married to unbelieving husbands should be like the holy women of old and hope in God. In fact, we all should.

Paul lived by faith in future grace. And therefore he blessed all his churches over and over again with future grace.

Jesus died for us to make us like him.

A truth stripped of God is not a whole truth and will not guide the church well.

Radical Christianity, real Christianity, makes a difference.

The aim of life—including our social and political life—is to live to God.

The two greatest issues in life are how the soul of man might not be destroyed and how the glory of God might not be belittled.