John Piper

What does the Bible say about corporate worship? What is worship in the first place? The stark differences in worship styles between churches leads to much confusion. Services with flippant worship cause us to miss the majesty and magnificence of God. On the other hand, stiff-necked worship doesn't recognize that God is actually happy, and that we are called to be happy as well. So what should our worship look like? Is there a balance--worship that is both solemn and joyful? Yes Gravity in worship doesn't mean being stern or grim. And gladness in worship doesn't mean being frivolous or superficial. If our God is both inestimably glorious and infinitely happy, our worship will have both gravity and gladness, both substance and satisfaction. In this twelve-session seminar, John Piper looks to the Bible to help individuals and churches discover the true nature of worship. Join Piper as he calls Christians to worship God daily with gravity and gladness. This DVD of the seminar and its accompanying study guide are especially designed for Bible studies and community groups.

Since September 11, 2001, I have seen more clearly than ever how essential it is to exult explicitly in the excellence of Christ crucified for sinners and risen from the dead. Christ must be explicit in all our God-talk. It will not do, in this day of pluralism, to talk about the glory of God in vague ways. God without Christ is no God. And a no-God cannot save or satisfy the soul. Following a no-God--whatever his name or whatever his religion--will be a wasted life. God-in-Christ is the only true God and the only path to joy. To bring us to this highest and most durable of all pleasures, God made his Son, Jesus Christ, a bloody spectacle of blameless suffering and death. This is what it cost to rescue us from a wasted life. The eternal Son of God "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing." He took "the form of a servant" and was born "in the likeness of men . . . . He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6-8). All Things Were Made for HimThis Jesus was and is a real historical man in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9). Since he is "God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God," as the old Nicene Creed says, and since his death and resurrection are the central act of God in history, it is not surprising to hear the Bible say, "All things were created through him and for him" (Colossians 1:16). For him That means for his glory. Ever since the incarnate, redeeming work of Jesus, God is gladly glorified by sinners only through the glorification of the risen God-Man, Jesus Christ. His bloody death is the blazing center of the glory of God. There is no way to the glory of the Father but through the Son. All the promises of joy in God's presence, and pleasures at his right hand, come to us only through faith in Jesus Christ. If We Reject Him, We Reject GodJesus is the litmus test of reality for all persons and all religions. He said it clearly: "The one who rejects me rejects him who sent me" (Luke 10:16). People and religions who reject Christ reject God. Do other religions know the true God? Here is the test: Do they reject Jesus as the only Savior for sinners who was crucified and raised by God from the dead? If they do, they do not know God in a saving way. That is what Jesus meant when he said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Or when he said, "Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him" (John 5:23). Or when he said to the Pharisees, "If God were your Father, you would love me" (John 8:42). If we would see and savor the glory of God, we must see and savor Christ. For Christ is "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15). To put it another way, if we would embrace the glory of God, we must embrace the Gospel of Christ. The reason for this is not only because we are sinners and need a Savior to die for us, but also because this Savior is himself the fullest and most beautiful manifestation of the glory of God. He purchases our undeserved and everlasting pleasure, and he becomes for us our all-deserving, everlasting Treasure. The Gospel is the Good News of the Glory of ChristThis is how the Gospel is defined. When we are converted through faith in Christ, what we see with the eyes of our hearts is "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). The Gospel is the good news of all-conquering beauty. Or to say it the way Paul does, it is the good news of "the glory of Christ." When we embrace Christ, we embrace God. We see and savor God's glory. There is no savoring of God's glory if we do not see it in Christ. This is the only window through which a sinner may see the face of God and not be incinerated. The Bible says that when God illuminates our hearts at conversion, he gives "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). Either we see the glory of God "in the face of Jesus Christ," or we don't see it at all. And "the face of Jesus Christ" is the beauty of Christ reaching its climax in the cross. The bloody face of Christ crucified (and triumphant ) is the countenance of the glory of God. What was once foolishness to us becomes our wisdom and our power and our boast (1 Corinthians 1:18, 24). Life is wasted if we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain.

Sex. Race. Scripture. Sovereignty. The book of Ruth entails them all. So readers shouldn't be fooled by its age, says Pastor John Piper. Though its events happened over 3,000 years ago, the story holds astounding relevance for Christians in the twenty-first century. The sovereignty of God, the sexual nature of humanity, and the gospel of God's mercy for the undeserving-these massive realities never change. And since God is still sovereign, and we are male or female, and Jesus is alive and powerful, A Sweet and Bitter Providence bears a message for readers from all walks of life. But be warned, Piper tells his audience: This ancient love affair between Boaz and Ruth could be dangerous, inspiring all of us to great risks in the cause of love.

Una par bola de permanencia . . . Reflexionando sobre cuarenta a os de matrimonio, John Piper enaltece el sentido b blico del matrimonio por encima de la emoci n, exhortando a las parejas a mantener su pacto por las razones correctas. Incluso cuando la gente com nmente permaneci casada "hasta que la muerte nos separe", nunca hubo una generaci n cuya perspectiva del matrimonio fue lo suficientemente alta, dice el pastor John Piper. Esto es todav a m s cierto en nuestra informal poca. Comprender el dise o de Dios seg n su Palabra puede despertar una gloriosa visi n capaz de liberar a todas las personas de perspectivas que ignoran a Cristo y est n intoxicadas por el romance. El matrimonio es fundamentalmente, m s que nada, la obra de Dios. Y, en ltima instancia, el matrimonio es la demostraci n de Dios. De una manera mejor que ning n otro evento o instituci n, en el matrimonio se muestra al mundo el mantenimiento del pacto de amor entre Cristo y su pueblo. El matrimonio, por lo tanto, no se trata principalmente de estar enamorado. Es, sobre todo, decir la verdad con nuestras vidas. Y permanecer casados no se trata de permanecer enamorados. Se trata de mantener el pacto y demostrar la gloria del amor fiel de Cristo. A Parable of Permanence . . . Reflecting on 40 years of matrimony, John Piper exalts the biblical meaning of marriage over its emotion, exhorting couples to keep their covenant for the right reasons. Even when people commonly stayed married "till death do us part," there has never been a generation whose view of marriage was high enough, says Pastor John Piper. That is all the more true in our casual times. Understanding God's design according to his Word can awaken a glorious vision capable of freeing every person from small, Christ-ignoring, romance-intoxicated views. As Piper explains: "Most foundationally, marriage is the doing of God. And ultimately, marriage is the display of God. It displays the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his people to the world in a way that no other event or institution does. Marriage, therefore, is not mainly about being in love. It's mainly about telling the truth with our lives. And staying married is not about staying in love. It is about keeping a covenant and putting the glory of Christ's covenant-keeping love on display."

This Momentary Marriage unpacks the biblical vision for marriage, its unexpected contours, and its weighty implications for married, single, divorced and remarried alike. There has never been a generation who has had a high enough view of marriage. And this is even more true today. Though selfishness and cultural bondage obstruct the wonder of God's purpose, his vision for marriage in the Bible frees us from small, romance-intoxicated views. As John Piper explains, 'Most foundationally, marriage is the doing of God. And ultimately, marriage is the display of God. It displays the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his people to the world in a way that no other event or institution does. Marriage, therefore, is not mainly about being in love. It is mainly about telling the truth with our lives. And staying married is not about staying in love. It is about keeping covenant and putting the glory of Christ's covenant-keeping love on display.' Reflecting on forty years of marriage to Noel, John Piper exalts the biblical meaning of marriage, exhorting couples to keep their covenant, for all the best reasons.

Over the last few years, the world of betting has changed dramatically thanks to the convergence of betting on sporting events and the trading of financial markets. A new type of betting has emerged which has become the fastest growing area of betting today – binary bets. John Piper's Binary Betting is the definitive guide to getting started with binary betting. Now he has written a second book for more experienced traders that takes binary betting to a new level. Binary Trading assumes that you already know the basics and will show you in detail how and why: - you need never use a stop again - you can get the market totally wrong and still make money - you can look forward to news items and trade them with impunity Whatever your current trading strategy, you should consider how binaries could fit into your trading plan and make you money. This detailed and comprehensive book from an experienced trader will tell you just that whilst giving an inside look at the exciting world of binary bets.

John Piper challenges fellow baby boomers to forego the American dream of retirement and live out their golden years with a far greater purpose in mind. They say it's a person's reward for all those years of labor. "Turn in your time card and trade in your IRAs. Let travel plans and golf-course leisure lead the way." But is retirement really the ideal? Or is it a series of poor options that ignore a greater purpose-and will kill a person more quickly than old age? John Piper responds: "Lord, spare me this curse!" And his resounding message is for anyone who believes there's far more to the golden years than accumulating comforts. It's for readers who long to finish better than they started, persevere for the right reasons (and without fear), experience true security, value what lies beyond their cravings, and live dangerously for the One who gave his life in his prime. With this brief book, Piper is sure to spur fellow baby boomers in their resolve to invest themselves in the sacrifices of love-and to grow old with godly zeal.

When Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘You must be born again’, the devout and learned religious leader was unsure what Jesus meant. It would seem nothing has changed. Today ‘born again Christians’ fill churches that are seen as ineffectual at best, and even characterised by the ‘mosaic’ generation as ‘unchristian’. The term ‘born again’ has been devalued both in society and in the church. Those claiming to be ‘born again’ live lives that are indistinguishable from those who don’t; they sin the same, embrace injustice the same, covet the same, do almost everything the same. Being ‘born again’ is now defined by what people say they believe. The New Testament however defines Christians very differently. “When Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3:7), he was not sharing interesting and unimportant information. He was leading him to eternal life… If he does that for you (or if he already has), then you are (or you will be) truly, invincibly, finally alive.” John Piper

John Piper fires readers' passion for the centrality and supremacy of God by unfolding Calvin's exemplary zeal for the glory of God. John Calvin's aim, he wrote, was to 'set before, as the prime motive of his existence, zeal to illustrate the glory of God' - a fitting banner over all of the great Reformer's life and work. 'The essential meaning of Calvin's life and preaching,' writes John Piper, 'is that he recovered and embodied a passion for the absolute reality and majesty of God. Such is the aim and burden of this book as well.' As Piper concisely unfolds this predominant theme in Calvin's life, he seeks to fire every Christian's passion for the centrality and supremacy of God, so that God's self-identification in Exodus 3 as 'I am who I am' becomes the sun in our solar system too.

Desde su publicacion hace algo mas de una decada, este libro se ha convertido en uno de los mejores referentes teologicos en cuanto al tema de las misiones, tanto para pastores, misioneros y estudiantes de seminario como para todos los creyentes en general. Piper vuelve a defender biblica y teologicamente la Supremacia de Dios sobre todas las cosas, y nos presenta una edicion revisada y mas extensa. Usando textos del Antiguo y del Nuevo Testamento, Piper demuestra que la adoracion es el fin ultimo de la Iglesia, y que una adoracion correcta nos lleva a la accion misionera. Segun el, la oracion es el combustible de la obra misionera porque se centra en una relacion con Dios y no tanto en las necesidades del mundo. Tambien habla del sufrimiento que muchas veces se experimenta en el mundo de las misiones, anadiendo que se trata de un sufrimiento que merece la pena. No se olvida de tratar el debate sobre si Jesus es el unico camino a la salvacion, y se adentra en la enorme empresa misionera para descrubrir la tarea que tenemos por delante y los medios de los que disponemos para llevar el Evangelio a todas las naciones ."

When Faith Flickers, Stoke the Fire No one sins out of duty. We sin because it offers some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us - until we believe that God is more desirable than life itself (Psalm 63:3). Only the power of God's superior promises in the gospel can emancipate our hearts from servitude to the shallow promises and fleeting pleasures of sin. John Piper shows how to sever the clinging roots of sin that ensnare us, including anxiety, pride, shame, impatience, covetousness, bitterness, despondency, and lust. Delighting in the bounty of God's glorious gospel promises will free us for a less sin-encumbered life, to the glory of Christ. Rooted in solid biblical reflection, this book aims to help guide you through the battles to the joys of victory by the power of the gospel and its superior pleasure.

The topic of manhood and womanhood is still strongly debated today and still greatly impacts our society. For Christians there is no doubt that the Bible must be the last word. But what does it teach about true manhood and womanhood? In what ways are men and women essentially the same? In what ways are they essentially different? And how do these differences affect our roles in the home, the church, and the wider society? Noted pastor, author, and Bible scholar John Piper positively and sensitively looks at these important questions for both men and women. His conclusions will inspire and encourage you to live out your unique differences in a fulfilling, godly way.

The world of betting is changing dramatically – say hello to Binary Betting. In recent years betting on sporting events and the trading of financial markets have been moving closer to each other, and binary bets are the result of this convergence. Binary bets combine the attractions of sports betting with the flexibility of the financial markets. Binary bets allow punters to:- Bet on hundreds of different sporting and financial markets- Close out bets before the event takes place- Profit from spectacular price moves- Bet in unusual and unexpected ways – experienced traders will love thisThis is the first book on binary betting and explains in simple language what binary bets are, how to trade them profitably and how to reduce risk. Within the book there are many real-life examples of binary betting trades and minute-by-minute analysis of binary price behaviour. In addition the book includes inside tips from an experienced trader who uses binary bets in his trading day in and day out – discover the bet that pays out even when you get it totally wrong! Find out what makes binary betting the fastest growing area of betting and why traders are switching to the new exciting world of binary bets.

John Piper recounts the story of William Wilberforce: his fight for the abolition of the African slave trade and against slavery in the British Empire, and the beliefs and motivations that drove him for decades in the face of obstacles.

No one sins out of duty. We sin because it offers some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us-until we believe that God is more desirable than life itself (Psalm 63:3). Only the power of God's superior promises in the gospel can emancipate our hearts from servitude to the shallow promises and fleeting pleasures of sin. In this twelve-chapter study guide developed by the author of Desiring God, you will find practical ways to sever the clinging roots of sin that ensnare us, including anxiety, pride, shame, impatience, covetousness, bitterness, despondency, and lust. Delighting in the bounty of God's glorious gospel promises will free us for a less sin-encumbered life, to the glory of Christ. Rooted in solid biblical reflection, this book aims to help guide you through the battles to the joys of victory by the power of the gospel and its superior pleasure.

Great privilege. Great pain. This is God's way: to take the privilege of faith and strengthen it with real trials so that we worship and witness with a greater passion for God. There is a certain irony to the fruit of affliction; John Bunyan's confinement taught him the pilgrim path of Christian freedom; William Cowper's mental illness yielded sweet music of the mind for troubled souls; David Brainerd's smouldering misery of isolation and disease exploded in global mission beyond all imagination. Irony and disproportion are all God's way. We think we know how to do something big, and God makes it little. We think that all we have is weak and small, and God makes it big. Barren Sarah gives birth to the child of promise. Gideon's three hundred men defeat a hundred thousand Midianites. A slingshot in the hand of a shepherd boy brings the giant down. A virgin bears the Son of God. A boy's five loaves feeds thousands. A breach of justice, grovelling political expediency, and criminal torture on a gruesome cross become the salvation of the world.