Look at the Book
1,379 episodes — Page 3 of 28
God May Grant Repentance: 2 Timothy 2:24–26, Part 1
How do we escape Satan’s clutches, especially when we have no hope of loving the truth on our own? We come to our senses only when God grants repentance.
How to Pursue Righteousness: 2 Timothy 2:22–23, Part 2
If the Christian life is about fleeing sin and pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace, how do we do so? John Piper offers some means of grace.
Christian Life as Fleeing and Pursuing: 2 Timothy 2:22–23, Part 1
How do we get a pure heart? John Piper meditates on righteousness, faith, love, and peace as vital pursuits for the Christian life.
What Are Vessels for Honor and Dishonor? 2 Timothy 2:20–21
What does it mean to be an honorable part of God’s great household? John Piper encourages believers to pursue usefulness in every good work.
The Immovable Seal of Election and Holiness: 2 Timothy 2:16–19, Part 2
When Christianity seems fragile, and false teaching leads people toward more and more ungodliness, how do we know that God’s purposes haven’t failed?
Why False Teaching Is Like Gangrene: 2 Timothy 2:16–19, Part 1
Irreverent babble leads only to more ungodliness. John Piper warns against teaching that is as poisonous as it is empty.
How Do You Rightly Handle the Word of Truth? 2 Timothy 2:14–15, Part 2
How do we teach the word of God in a manner approved by God? John Piper emphasizes the importance of faith and grace in the work of ministry.
Contending for the Faith vs. Word Fights: 2 Timothy 2:14–15, Part 1
When it comes to defending the words of the Bible, how do we know when we’ve begun ruining our hearers with quarrels? Pastor John offers five guidelines.
Saved by Grace, But Not Without War: 2 Timothy 2:8–13
God promises to keep everyone he saves, yet Scripture also mentions conditions Christians must meet in order to get to glory. How do those two truths fit together?
If We Are Faithless, He Remains Faithful? 2 Timothy 2:11–13
Does God remain faithful to us even when we are unfaithful to him? John Piper considers the promise that God will never deny himself.
Election Gives Evangelism Power: 2 Timothy 2:8–10, Part 3
What does the doctrine of election do for evangelism? It puts the omnipotent, unfailing power of God behind the gospel call.
The Gospel Triumphs Through Suffering: 2 Timothy 2:8–10, Part 2
The word of God is not bound by anything. Yet God chooses to use human heralds and their faithful suffering to advance the good news.
Remember Jesus in All You Do: 2 Timothy 2:8–10, Part 1
Mature Christians are much occupied with Jesus. They do not forget him but remember him hourly and in everything.
Is Thinking or Praying the Path to Understanding? 2 Timothy 2:3–7, Part 3
Diligent thinking and God’s gift of understanding are not at odds. They are two sides of the same coin.
Soldier, Athlete, Farmer — the Power and the Promise: 2 Timothy 2:3–7, Part 2
In 2 Timothy 2, Paul uses three different images to depict the Christian life: soldier, athlete, and farmer. What can we learn from each?
Why Does Paul Take Timothy’s Suffering for Granted? 2 Timothy 2:3–7, Part 1
Why is suffering an essential part of the Christian life? Among other reasons, because Christians are out of step with the world, which leads to conflict.
How the Gospel Is Preserved for All Generations: 2 Timothy 2:1–2, Part 2
Each generation needs faithful men to pass on the apostolic teaching that was entrusted to them. By the Spirit’s power, we preserve the truth until Christ returns.
How Are We Strengthened by Grace? 2 Timothy 2:1–2, Part 1
The Christian life is lived in the power of grace, which means we look to God to provide everything we need to fulfill his call on our lives.
Is Our Kindness a Condition of God’s Mercy? 2 Timothy 1:15–18, Part 2
Is God’s mercy the foundation of our good works, or is his mercy the reward of our good works?
The Soul-Strengthening Courage of Onesiphorus: 2 Timothy 1:15–18, Part 1
When Paul looked for an example for Timothy, he found Onesiphorus — unashamed, full of service, and refreshing to fellow believers.
Guard the Healthy Words by the Holy Spirit: 2 Timothy 1:13–14
According to Paul, healthy words come from Jesus. They accord with his gospel and redound to his glory. They are worth guarding closely.
Unashamed Because We Know Our Keeper: 2 Timothy 1:8–12, Part 4
When God calls someone to himself, he keeps that person until the end. He guards all those who entrust themselves to him.
Death Abolished, Life Obtained, Gospel Spread: 2 Timothy 1:8–12, Part 3
The Lord Jesus Christ abolished death and brought immortality to light through the gospel. Do you know the gospel? Do you share it with others?
Electing Grace from Before Creation: 2 Timothy 1:8–12, Part 2
Salvation tells the glorious story that God set his love on his people before they even existed and then called them for the praise of his glory.
The Eternal Roots of Timothy’s Unashamed Courage: 2 Timothy 1:8–12, Part 1
God targeted his chosen ones with grace before the ages began. That is the surest foundation imaginable to build your life upon.
The Main Point of 2 Timothy: 2 Timothy 1:3–8, Part 4
How do you fan into flame a gift God has given to you? You do it by faith, laying hold of the promises of provision God has made to you.
The Gift of Unashamed Courage to Speak and Suffer: 2 Timothy 1:3–8, Part 3
When Paul talks about the gift God gave to Timothy, what is he referring to? Unashamed courage to speak and to suffer for the gospel.
A Father’s Prayers, a Son’s Tears: 2 Timothy 1:3–8, Part 2
Paul says that he prayed for Timothy “constantly . . . night and day.” How might his practice and his specific petitions shape our own life of prayer?
Paul’s Parent-Rooted, Non-Guilty Service: 2 Timothy 1:3–8, Part 1
Why is it so important to serve God from a good conscience? Because a guilty conscience will serve in order to gain favor with God, and that will never work.
How Did Timothy Become a Child of Paul? 2 Timothy 1:1–2, Part 5
The apostle Paul addresses Timothy as “my beloved child.” How did Timothy become not just a ministry partner but a son to Paul?
How Is Eternal Life in Christ Jesus? 2 Timothy 1:1–2, Part 4
Why did God make Paul an apostle? So that he could declare the promise of life in Christ Jesus to those who were dead in their trespasses.
Why Does Paul Prefer the Name ‘Christ Jesus’? 2 Timothy 1:1–2, Part 3
When Paul refers to Jesus, the title he loves to use the most is “Christ Jesus.” Why was this name so significant for Paul?
How Great Is Paul’s Apostolic Authority? 2 Timothy 1:1–2, Part 2
What is an apostle? An apostle is an official representative selected by Christ to mediate his authority on earth and herald his message to men.
The Poignant Setting of Paul’s Last Letter: 2 Timothy 1:1–2, Part 1
What is the setting for Paul’s second letter to Timothy? Paul is imprisoned in Rome, he wants Timothy to come to him, and he is ready for death.
The Great Crescendo of Faith and Love and the Glory of God: 1 Timothy 6:20–21, Part 4
What is Paul’s ultimate concern in 1 Timothy? To encourage faith that awakens godliness that is passionate about the glory of God.
How Do We Guard the Precious Deposit of Truth? 1 Timothy 6:20–21, Part 3
You don’t guard the word of God like you would some other ancient document. You guard it by doing it, protecting it, and passing it on.
What Is the Good Deposit Entrusted to Timothy? 1 Timothy 6:20–21, Part 2
Paul’s final exhortation in 1 Timothy is to “guard the deposit entrusted to you.” What is “the deposit” the apostle has in mind?
What Emotional Health Is in the Word ‘O’! 1 Timothy 6:20–21, Part 1
In the little word “O,” Paul brings us into a whole world of emotional complexity. He models for us healthy, godly affections for others.
How Do We Lay Up Treasure in Heaven? 1 Timothy 6:17–19, Part 2
Christian generosity grows out of hearts that place their hope in God. When he is the source of our joy now and forever, we are free to radically give.
Why and How to Hope in God, Not Riches: 1 Timothy 6:17–19, Part 1
Those who look to riches to uphold their hopes will be deeply disappointed. Worldly wealth is fleeting and uncertain. Only God can ground our hope.
Serving and Adoring a God Without Rivals: 1 Timothy 6:13–16, Part 2
If you belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords, you are as safe as you could possibly be. No one rivals your God.
A Call to Courageous Ministry: 1 Timothy 6:13–16, Part 1
Courage does not come from knowing an opponent to be weak. It comes from knowing our God to be strong. God gives us life, and he sustains it.
Fight for Faith! Take Hold of Life! 1 Timothy 6:11–12, Part 2
How do you take hold of eternal life? You have faith in Jesus. You believe in him, hold tight to him, treasure him, and refuse to let him go.
The Christian Life as Fleeing and Pursuing: 1 Timothy 6:11–12, Part 1
The Christian life is one of fleeing and pursuing: flee anything that does not proceed from faith, and pursue what pleases God.
How Is the Love of Money the Root of All Evils? 1 Timothy 6:6–10, Part 4
How can Paul say that the love of money is the root of all evils? Because the kind of heart that loves money abandons faith, and anything not of faith is sin.
Are You Content with Food and Clothing? 1 Timothy 6:6–10, Part 3
Christians can be happy with little — yet we are happy not because we have little but because we have God. He, not minimalism, is our portion.
Out of the Womb Penniless, Out of the Tomb Penniless: 1 Timothy 6:6–10, Part 2
Those who seek to make godliness a means of monetary gain miss an all-important point: we entered the world with nothing, and we will leave the same way.
How Is Godliness Great Gain? 1 Timothy 6:6–10, Part 1
Does being a Christian bring benefit in the present life? Absolutely. Peace, contentment, and joy are some of the weighty gains of godliness.
The Roots of False Teaching: 1 Timothy 6:3–5
Three primary desires give rise to false teachers: “I want to be well known.” “I want to be preeminent over others.” “I want to amass power by money.”
Slavery in View of the Whole New Testament: 1 Timothy 6:1–2, Part 3
The New Testament does not abolish the social shell of slavery. But it does transform it so radically that a property-owner relationship becomes unthinkable.