Look at the Book
1,362 episodes — Page 25 of 28
1 Peter 3:8–9, Part 3: Those Who Suffer Receive a Blessing
How does our future inheritance in heaven help us suffer well? The answer is one key to loving those who wrong and mistreat us.
1 Peter 3:8–9, Part 2: How Do We Obey Commands to Feel?
We do not have immediate control over our feelings, so how do we obey commands to feel? Here are five places to start in pursuing changes in your personality.
1 Peter 3:8–9, Part 1: Bless Those Who Revile You
We know we are supposed to love our enemies, to bless those who curse or revile us, but how do we do that? Where does that kind of heart and response come from?
Psalm 67: God Blesses You to Bless the World
Why does God love and bless his undeserving children like he does? These seven verses unlock several reasons, including one that should shape the direction and purpose of your life.
1 Peter 3:7, Part 4: Your Prayers Hang on Your Marriage
The Bible says that the way a man treats his wife might interfere with his prayer life. Is God not listening to you because you’re not listening to her?
1 Peter 3:7, Part 3: Your Wife Is an Heir of the Universe
If your wife loves Jesus, you are living with a queen of the universe, an heir of infinite glory. You should be amazed that you get to live with her.
1 Peter 3:7, Part 2: Honor Your Wife as the Weaker Vessel
Peter calls wives the weaker vessel. Is that out-dated analysis, offensive sexisim, or just generally true? The right answer will help men honor women well.
1 Peter 3:7, Part 1: Love Your Wife for the Lord’s Sake
Husbands are called to love their wives differently than wives love their husbands, but not completely differently. For instance, husbands submit in marriage, too.
John 11:1–6, Part 3: God’s Love Allows Pain and Loss
If Jesus loved Lazarus enough to let him die, what can we learn from this about love? Here are three important principles for how we should love one another.
John 11:1–6, Part 2: Why Did Jesus Let Lazarus Die?
Jesus loved Lazarus, and Jesus let Lazarus die. Is that possible? Love does not always look like what we expect.
John 11:1–6, Part 1: How Do We Read the Bible’s Stories?
The New Testament letters are some of most straightforward books in the Bible to interpret and apply. Should we read the other parts of the Bible, like the stories, differently?
1 Peter 3:1–6, Part 5: Husbands Should Be Heads, Not Idols
Submission is a controversial and sensitive subject in our society. As we define what it is, it is just as important for us to clarify what it is not.
1 Peter 3:1–6, Part 4: Holy Women Are Fueled by Hope
Underneath a wife’s submission to her husband must be the anchor of fearless hope in God. Where does that come from and where do we see it?
1 Peter 3:1–6, Part 3: Beauty Is Not in Makeup or Clothing
Women have often been deceived into thinking that beauty is about how they look or what they wear. But God defines beauty very differently.
1 Peter 3:1–6, Part 2: The Saving Power of a Fearless Wife
What hope does a wife have of saving her husband? In this lab, John Piper explains how fearlessness and purity might make all the difference for her husband’s faith.
1 Peter 3:1–6, Part 1: To Wives with Unbelieving Husbands
Some women are exiles within their own marriage. They want to follow Jesus, but their husbands have rejected the gospel they love.
1 Peter 2:21–25, Part 2: By His Wounds You Have Been Healed
When Jesus went to the cross, he bore our condemnation and purchased our healing. This lab explains what kind of healing and transformation we experience.
1 Peter 2:21–25, Part 1: Jesus Suffered to Keep You from Sinning
Jesus promised us that his followers would suffer unjustly for bearing his name. In this lab, John Piper explains how we return good for evil, even when it seems like evil is winning.
Proverbs 22:17–19, Part 3: God’s Bigger Purpose for Proverbs
You probably know the book of Proverbs as a collection of practical advice for God’s people. Proverbs itself, though, defines its purpose in a deeper, more significant way.
Proverbs 22:17–19, Part 2: Fix Your Eyes and Heart on the Bible
Our Bible reading is about much more than reading. In this lab, John Piper highlights two major principles for getting the most out of your time in God’s word.
Proverbs 22:17–19, Part 1: Enjoy, Apply, and Share
Proverbs is one of the most ruthlessly practical books in the whole Bible. In this lab, John Piper breaks down several lines, asking what they mean and how they relate to each other.
1 Peter 2:18–20, Part 3: God Will Reward Every Wrong Endured
Jesus says that those who follow him will suffer. In this lab, John Piper uncovers the promise that God will one day make every wrong right.
1 Peter 2:18–20, Part 2: Trust God When You Are Mistreated
What happens when someone is mistreated for doing good? In this lab, John Piper teaches us how to respond to and endure injustice.
1 Peter 2:18–20, Part 1: Slaves, Obey Your Masters
Slavery is a sensitive topic with a horrific history. So what does the Bible say for slaves? In this lab, John Piper explores one place where freedom is found.
1 Peter 2:13–17, Part 3: Fear God, Not the Government
What does freedom in Christ look like in subjection to a human government? In this lab, John Piper explains five key principles.
1 Peter 2:13–17, Part 2: Obey as People Who Are Free
How do servants of the King live and serve in a world with kings? In this lab, John Piper reveals the wonder of Christian freedom and the witness of being subject to human authorities.
1 Peter 2:13–17, Part 1: Live on Earth as Citizens of Heaven
Christians live in and are citizens of some nation on earth, under some government, but their final authority is in heaven. In this lab, John Piper explains how to live as exiles and refugees.
1 Peter 2:11–12, Part 3: Will Others Worship God Because of You?
The Bible says that some will be saved through the witness of our faithfulness. In this lab, John Piper explains how our good deeds win others to Christ.
1 Peter 2:11–12, Part 2: Silence the World with Good Deeds
Many Christians today cannot stand being maligned, and so they cave to what the world wants. In this lab, John Piper helps us win the world by living differently.
Philippians 2:3–8, Part 2: Lower Yourself in Love Like Jesus
The key to enduring suffering in service to others is putting on the humility of Christ. In this lab, John Piper walks us through the birth and death of Jesus.
Philippians 2:3–8, Part 1: Holy God Became Like Us
Jesus Christ lived and died in every way for the sake of others. In this lab, John Piper calls us to do the same by looking at the wonder of Christmas.
John 1:14, Part 2: Glory Full of Grace and Truth
“We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” In this lab, John Piper helps us understand the glory we see at Christmas.
John 1:14, Part 1: God Lived Among Us
Don’t let good things distract from ultimate things this Christmas. Our great reason for celebration is that God came to save us.
1 Peter 2:11–12, Part 1: Your Old Passions War Against You
There are desires inside of you that want to destroy you. In this lab, John Piper teaches us to fight remaining sin in our own hearts.
1 Peter 2:9–10, Part 2: Why You Exist in the World
Can you explain why you exist in the world? In this lab, John Piper explains the purpose of your life.
1 Peter 2:9–10, Part 1: God Treasures You, But Not Because of You
When a person becomes a Christian, they take on an entirely different identity, the pinnacle of which is being God’s prized possession.
James 5:19–20, Part 2: Five Truths About Eternal Security
In this lab, John Piper deals with the security of every believer, explaining how God keeps his children from falling away.
James 5:19–20, Part 1: Bringing Back a Wandering Believer
Some of the most heartbreaking moments in a Christian’s life are watching other believers wander away from the truth. In this lab, John Piper tackles a couple verses that help us understand a Christian’s identity and give us great hope in pursuing a wandering brother or sister in Christ.
1 Peter 2:4–8, Part 2: They Were Destined to Disobey God
God predestined some, in his infinite mercy, to hear the gospel and believe. And he predestined others to disobey and reject the good news. In this lab, John Piper leads us carefully word by word into one of the most difficult verses and truths in all the Bible, ending with nine summary thoughts.
1 Peter 2:4–8, Part 1: Come to the Man Rejected by Men
Those who follow Jesus should expect to be rejected by the world. But their rejection will not be the last word. In this lab, John Piper traces a new word picture and several Old Testament quotations to show why all who come to Christ and embrace rejection with him will also receive eternal life.
1 Peter 2:1–3, Part 2: A Remedy for Envy
The new birth produces love in every true believer in Jesus Christ, and it also weans us off our old sinful desires, like envy. But we have to be able to spot them. In this lab, John Piper zeros in on several common iniquities, and explains how we wield the word of God against them.
1 Peter 2:1–3, Part 1 : Spiritual Growth Is Not Optional
God is not done with his work when we first believe and are saved. He intends day by day to make us into what we already are in Christ. Spiritual growth is not optional or marginal in the Christian life. Every person that truly believes in Christ is being increasingly transformed into his likeness.
Hebrews 13:5–6: God Will Never Forsake You
The love of money — a craving for money as the source of our security — is an epidemic in our world, and maybe especially in our nation. So how do we kill the craving within us? In this lab, John Piper models what it means to fight temptation with the promises of God.
1 Peter 1:22–25, Part 2: We Cannot Love Without Hope
Where do we find the strength we need to truly love the people in our lives? In this lab, John Piper looks at two verses in 1 Peter that describe our new birth, and the affects it has on our earthly relationships. True love only proceeds from genuine hope, which only comes from the word of God.
1 Peter 1:22–25, Part 1: How God Purifies Our Souls from Sin
How does the faith in Jesus by which we were saved relate to the new life in Jesus for which we were saved? How do we pursue purity by grace, and not just our own resolve or discipline? In this lab, John Piper pulls apart the various things that happen when we’re born again.
1 Peter 1:20–21: Jesus Christ, the Beginning and the End
Lots of people identify Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But do they live in way that also says he is their Treasure? In this lab, John Piper uncovers a couple of precious truths about our infinitely valuable Jesus. There are at least two paths in these verses to grow our love for and hope in him.
1 Peter 1:17–19: Fear Treating God as Trash
Do you fear God? The Bible seems to be confusing about fear. In some places, God calls us to live in fear. Elsewhere, he says he’s delivered us from fear. In this lab, John Piper focuses on 1 Peter 1:17–19, but pulls in lots of verses to help us understand what it means for us to fear God.
1 Corinthians 15:9–10, Part 3: Grace Supplies Strength for Today
If grace empowers us to live like Christ, how do we access that grace day after day? What does it mean to live in the strength that God supplies? In this lab, John Piper unpacks a life sustained by faith in God’s future grace, where God’s power meets our needs for his glory moment by moment.
1 Corinthians 15:9–10, Part 2: Grace Empowers the Best Work
For many, the message of grace means the end of all effort. But the Bible will not let us settle for that kind of Christian life. In this lab, John Piper connects key texts to inspire real, consistent, passionate effort to live like Jesus today. The grace that saves us also empowers change in us.
1 Corinthians 15:9–10, Part 1: Grace Redeems the Worst Pasts
God’s grace rescued one of the worst sinners in history, a man who by his own admission was a persecutor, blasphemer, and murderer. Paul’s story gives every sinner hope. In this lab, John Piper defines grace and explains how it meets us in the midst of our brokenness and rebellion.