Messages by Desiring God

What does Bible reading look like for John Piper? In this message to fathers, he tells personal stories and shares how he has weaved Bible reading into all of life.

The nature of genuine saving faith isn’t mere mental assent, but receiving all that God is for us in Jesus Christ.

Suffering may quiet our singing for a time, but God designed singing to sustain our souls. And one day, we will sing forever with unrestrained joy.

What sinners and Satan intend for evil, God always superintends for good. Our all-wise God brings restoration from ruin and deliverance out of danger.

To exposit a text is only one part of preaching and teaching. We must drill down into the words and unearth the reality that holds the text together.

Preachers, instead of taking your text and making a beeline to the cross, take the cross and make a beeline to your text.

True contentment in Christ not only guards against our ever-changing circumstances, but frees us to overflow in costly love to others — even our enemies.

As we look forward to Christ’s second coming, what matters most is not that we have the timing and details down, but that we hold fast to Jesus as our great hope.

Suffering, pain, and trouble never have the last word for the people of God. He is our hope and our joy, and he will bring us all the way home.

To take God’s name in vain is about far, far more than avoiding foul language. Our reverence for God’s name cuts to the very core of our worship in all of life.

Jesus’s call to deny ourselves isn’t a demand to give up happiness but an invitation to walk with him on the path to deep, lasting joy.

True Christian education fills our hearts and minds with a joy so serious and strong that our society loses its power to control where we stand and what we say.

God will not settle for redeeming people from just a few parts of the globe. He will have people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

The humblest response to our culture’s tirade against objective truth isn’t to retreat, but to lovingly and kindly contend for what the Bible says.

Every believer in Jesus Christ has a potent spiritual superpower. With the Spirit’s help, we now can seek the very things of heaven above.

The preacher’s task is not merely to teach or inform, but to rejoice with his people over the wonders of Scripture.

Glory and joy appear all over the Bible, but how they relate is not readily obvious. Listen to John Piper tell the story of how God connected the dots between the two.

Enjoying God, being satisfied in him, is essential in glorifying him as he deserves. God is not as glorified by mere duty as he is by delight.

Jesus’s resurrection not only guarantees that we too will rise, but that we can taste steadfast, heavenly joy here and now — even in suffering. John Piper preached this sermon at the Sing! Conference in Nashville.

Tears, crying, and weeping are all a proper response to the God-ordained sorrow and pain we face. Just because God is sovereign doesn’t mean we ignore our pain.

Suffering and injustice infect every inch of our world. But Jesus grants his people the resolve to labor for change that makes an everlasting difference. John Piper preached this message at the Sing! Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Sermons are not speeches. Preaching isn’t a lecture. When a pastor speaks God’s words to his gathered people, in the power of the Spirit, miracles happen. John Piper delivered this message at the Sing! conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.

In this life, we will not be able to see all God is doing through sickness and pain, but we can trust that he will reveal more of himself to us through every trial and trouble.

The greatness of God’s glory invites a response that moves his people beyond mere words. And so we sing. John Piper preached this sermon at the Sing! Conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

We will never find true worth in what we have or who we are. True, full, lasting satisfaction can only come through all that God is for us in Jesus Christ. After the congregation sang “My Worth Is Not in What I Own,” John Piper presented this gospel message at the Sing! Belfast conference.

What makes the heart of a legalist tick? You might be surprised how often, despite appearances, it is simply this: the love of money. John Piper delivered this message at a chapel for Crossway Books.

Christians care about all injustice in our fallen world. But our outrage against wrongdoing will fizzle out unless we root our concern in God himself. We care especially about injustice against God. John Piper preached this message at the 2019 Bethlehem College and Seminary commencement.

Jesus has already paid the price to ransom a global people who live to praise him. And he wants to use you to spread the astoundingly good news. John Piper preached this message at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis.

The death of Jesus Christ was no mere product of coincidences. God planned every detail to ensure the salvation of his people. John Piper preached this message at The Gospel Coalition 2019 National Conference.

Jesus is worthy to be praised with our every thought and deed. But what about our feelings? The Bible’s clearest answer is also the best of news. John Piper preached this message at the Bethlehem 2019 Conference for Pastors + Church Leaders in Minneapolis.

Jesus not only paid for our full acceptance with God, but he also purchased grace for us to embrace obedience. This is the second message John Piper preached at the Bethlehem 2019 Conference for Pastors + Church Leaders in Minneapolis.

Safety tempts us to stay put. Luxury tries to lure us. Comfort wants to keep us. But God has a bigger, global dream for his people. John Piper preached this message at the G3 2019 conference in Atlanta.

One day soon, people from every nation will bring God praise and glory. But they won’t encounter everlasting hope until God’s people go and send. Piper preached this message on January 4, 2019, at the CROSS Conference in Louisville, where thousands gathered to discern their call to the nations.

Jesus anoints every believer with his Spirit so that we taste how precious he is.

Every act of Christian love springs from serious joy in Jesus. When your hope is secure in him, you can give whatever it takes to serve others.

The more gladness we have in our Father, the more we bring glory to his name. Our happiness in him shows off his holiness in us.

Jesus has purchased something infinitely better than anything this world has to offer: the glory of God himself. We have every reason to boast in him.

The pulpit isn’t just a place for a lecture or even mere teaching. Every sermon should sing with worship over the glories of God’s word. John Piper delivered this message during a breakout seminar at the Sing! 2018 Conference in Nashville.

Satan is trying to steal your joy. God gave us the Psalms to fight back.

Jesus bought an unbreakable covenant for his people. He takes hardened rebels and transforms them into a beautiful bride for their eternal joy.

Joy is not a wishful add-on to the Christian life, but essential to knowing and worshiping God. When we finally discover joy in Jesus, everything changes.

Jesus took the cup of God’s wrath so that we would never have to. And now he beckons each of us to join him in speaking and sharing the good news of his victory.

The people of God may appear weak, but God loves to be at a disadvantage — just before he wins.

Your pains and weaknesses are not obstacles to everything you want to accomplish, but the very instruments God uses to make you more like his Son.

The most basic distinction between the church and the world is not godly decisions, good deeds, or even true doctrines, but glad delight in God himself.

Wisdom from God is more valuable than gold. It may look foolish to a watching world, but the lasting path of happiness comes only in the guidance God gives.

What would John Piper say to those with most of their adult life ahead of them? Here are six rules he would live by.

When we come to Christ, we don’t lose our ethnic or cultural identities. But we all put on his insignia and find new possibilities for unity in him.

If you find Jesus boring or unsatisfying, you haven’t really discovered yet who he is.

Receiving Jesus as our greatest joy unlocks right standing with God and right living with others.