Brad’s Blog

I am currently reading Desiring God by John Piper. Today my post is on Piper’s chapter about prayer.

Thankfully, I think the book has picked up the pace. I think that Piper is now getting to the heart of the matter more. I am pleased to see this. His chapter on prayer is very good. Discussions about Christians and prayer always hits us square between the eyes. That is getting to the heart of the matter. Getting a Christian to pray consistently is no easy task. Why are we so bad at praying?

Piper even states that prayer is the power of Christian Hedonism.

Piper tells us to be properly enjoying God (therefore glorifying Him) that we must be a people devoted to prayer. Piper says, “Prayer is the open admission that without Christ we can do nothing.” He goes on to say that, “Prayer humbles us as needy and exalts God as wealthy.” I really like those statements.

Piper goes into a discussion about how we should let God serve us and not just serve Him.  This sounds strange on the surface, but the point is well taken.  We can serve God in such a way that would belittle Him and make it appear that He needs our service.  Prayer is a way that we let God serve us.  Piper makes it clear that he is not referring to a genie in a bottle type of idea.  He is talking about true biblical prayer of casting our needs and worries upon God.  It is part of acknowledging that we are helpless.

This sentence really jumped off the page at me.  “Prayer prevents service from being an expression of pride.“  That really hits hard.  When we serve God and don’t pray about our service (i.e. asking for wisdom, strength, guidance), we can boast in our partnership with God.  When we pray about our service, God still gets all the glory.  We are simply vessels.

I will continue about prayer in my next post.

I am currently reading Desiring God by John Piper. Today is my second post on Piper’s chapter about Scripture. Like I said in my last post, this is a really good chapter.

Piper gives us a list in the chapter of some things that Scripture provides for us.

• Scripture provides hope - For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4; NIV)
• Scripture provides freedom - Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32; NIV)
• Scripture provides wisdom - The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. (Psalm 19:7b; NIV)
• Scripture provides assurance - I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13; NIV)
• Scripture overcomes the Evil One - Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17; NIV)

Piper gives the example of Martin Luther and his stand for Truth against the establishment of Rome. At his trial, Luther spoke these now famous words.

“Since, then, Your Majesty and Your Lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me.“

All I can say to that is AMEN!

I am still reading Desiring God by John Piper.  Today my post is on Piper’s chapter about Scripture.

This is a very good chapter.  I will probably post more on Scripture later as well.  Piper points the reader to an appendix at the end of the book that goes into even more detail.

One of the main verses that Piper uses for this chapter is Psalm 19:7 (The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.).  He really stresses the reviving part of the verse and how in the Christian life there will be dips and valleys.  The Bible is how we can be revived to press on.  Piper calls the Bible the kindling of Christian Hedonism.

Another important verse that Piper quotes is Romans 10:17 (Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.).  Basically, this tells us that our Christian life and faith start with hearing God’s Word.

Piper tells the story of Tokichi Ichii who was hanged for murder in Tokyo in 1918.  This is a really incredible story.  He was a very, very evil man.  Shortly before he was executed, two ladies sent him a New Testament.  He read the story of Jesus’ trial and execution.  The words of Jesus, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do,” transformed his life.  Below is what Ichii wrote before he died.

“As sorrowing, yet always rejoicing.” People will say that I must have a very sorrowful heart because I am daily awaiting the execution of the death sentence. This is not the case. I feel neither sorrow nor distress nor any pain. Locked up in a prison cell six feet by nine in size I am infinitely happier than I was in the days of my sinning when I did not know God. Day and night . . . I am talking with Jesus Christ.

“As poor, yet making many rich.” This certainly does not apply to the evil life I led before I repented. But perhaps in the future, someone in the world may hear that the most desperate villain that ever lived repented of his sins and was saved by the power of Christ, and so may come to repent also. Then it may be that though I am poor myself, I shall be able to make many rich.

I am currently reading Desiring God by John Piper.  Today my post is on Piper’s chapter about love.

Piper calls love “the labor of Christian hedonism.”  Piper is continuing to discuss the problem with giving to God out of duty.  The following quote is really good.  “If you come to God dutifully offering Him the reward of your fellowship instead of thirsting after the reward of His fellowship, then you exalt yourself above God as His benefactor and belittle Him as a needy beneficiary - and that is evil.”

I have to be honest with you.  I am getting really bored with this book.  I had such high expectations going into it.  It is not that the book is bad, it just seems to go on and on saying the same thing.  Piper works to make sure that he is not misunderstood but that also causes the book to seem to ramble endlessly.

Part of the issue with the book is that Piper is tackling words that have been misused and mis-defined in the church and in the world.  He is carefully making sure that the reader has the proper understanding of a concept and is then not pulled to either extreme.  I do appreciate how Piper does this.  I like how he helps the reader properly understand joy, worship, love, feelings, etc.  These are often misunderstood words in Christendom.

Piper defines love as the overflow of joy that gladly meets the needs of others.  I like this definition.  I think that accurately describes what true love is and what the true motivation for helping others is.  Piper states that if we are not pursuing joy (biblical joy, not worldly joy) that we can not really love people or please God.

Piper does use many Bible references to back up his points, especially the book of Hebrews.

Next time, we will look at the chapter on Scripture.

I am currently reading Desiring God by John Piper.  I am continuing my discussion of Piper’s treatment of worship.

The definition that Piper continually gives to worship is, “Worship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of His worth.“  He says that without the engagement of the heart, we are not really worshiping.

Piper goes into a rather long explanation to arrive at the conclusion that we honor God in our worship the most when we say, “It’s my joy” and not “It’s my duty.”  Piper even sums this up more to say that worship is simply obedience to the command of God in Psalm 37 that says, “Delight yourself in the Lord.”

I did like in this chapter how Piper emphasized not to let our worship devolve into mere duty.  I think we all have a tendency to allow that to happen.  We should meditate on the greatness of God and what He has done for us and allow that to transform our minds and fill our hearts.  I completely agree with Piper.  However, I did find this chapter to kind of drag on and on.  I really had trouble staying with him to the end of the chapter.  I hope that the remaining chapters pick up the pace because I am getting a bit bogged down in this book.

Next, we tackle love.

I am continuing to read Desiring God by John Piper.

It is now time to move to chapter 3 dealing with worship.  Piper spends a great deal of time talking about Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well.  Piper discusses how she shifted the focus of the conversation from discussing her sin to discussing where the Samaritans were supposed to worship.  The following paragraph is terrific, and I have seen this many times in people’s lives.

“A trapped animal will chew off its own leg to escape.  A trapped sinner will mangle her own mind and rip up the rules of logic.  ‘Why, yes, as long as we are talking about my adultery, what is Your stance on the issue of where people should worship?’ This is standard evasive double-talk for trapped sinners.“

Piper goes on to say that worshiping God is essentially a way of honoring God, and he quotes Isaiah 29:13 to illustrate this point.   Piper begins to drive home the point that worship is a heart matter and is not merely external activities.  Piper says that our hearts must be engaged in worship and that engagement brings alive feelings, emotions, and affections for God.  (Please understand that he does not mean this in a touchy feely sort of way.  In fact, Piper dispels the idea that worship is about physical feelings.  He is defining feelings as things such as gratitude, hope, joy, contentment, peacefulness, desire, compassion, fear, hate, anger, grief.)

Piper rightly states that we worship God not in any way to get good gifts from God but just because He is God.

I will continue about worship in my next post.

I am currently reading Desiring God by John Piper.

I am continuing with how Piper discusses conversion.  Piper begins by telling us how we have failed God. He explains how desperate our condition is before telling us the hope that can be found in Christ. He uses many passages of Scripture to back up his points.

Piper even justifies hell and the just-ness of everlasting torment. He explains how our sin committed against a holy God is infinitely bad. Tough subject to tackle and definitely not what our “itching ears want to hear.”

I love Piper’s simple explanation of the death of Christ. He says, “The death of Christ is the wisdom of God by which the love of God saves sinners from the wrath of God, all the while upholding and demonstrating the righteousness of God in Christ.”

Piper ends his discussion on our desperate need by saying, “If the most terrifying news in the world is that we have fallen under the condemnation of our Creator and that He is bound by His own righteous character to preserve the worth of His glory by pouring out His wrath on our sin, then the best news in all the world (the gospel!) is that God has decreed a way of salvation that also upholds the worth of His glory, the honor of His Son, and the eternal salvation of His elect. He has given His Son to die for sinners and to conquer their death by His own resurrection.”

Piper then begins to elegantly explain salvation and how it is applied to a person’s life. I really like how he defines words. He starts with the word conversion and defines it. Many words like this become buzz words in the Christian life, and we never stop to think about what they mean. He defines conversion as “repentance (turning from sin and unbelief) and faith (trusting in Christ alone for salvation).“

Piper then defines regeneration. He also gives the right interpretation that regeneration precedes conversion or faith. I would completely agree with this. If God does not first remove the blinders from our eyes and make it possible for us to believe, we would never trust in Christ as our Savior. It is simply impossible for us to trust in Christ in our unregenerate state. Piper even rightly states that faith is evidence of new birth and not the cause of it.

Piper concludes by discussing the necessity of good works and fruit that come after conversion. These works in no way save us or make us more saved but are a natural by-product that comes from the change within.

I am currently reading Desiring God by John Piper.

In chapter 2, Piper spends a great deal of time speaking about conversion. This is a good place to start because the rest of the book does not matter if an individual has not taken care of this first. Piper tells us that conversion is necessary and that true conversion is the creation of a Christian hedonist.

Piper speaks about the necessity of really believing God. He talks about how many people believe in Jesus, but this does not save them. This goes right along with the sermon our pastor preached this week on Galatians 3. Our pastor made the point of the difference in “believing in God” and “believing God.” This is also the point that James makes in the 2nd chapter of his book. He tells us that even the demons believe in God.

Demons have orthodox beliefs.  They have correct head knowledge.  In fact, they are one better than most people in that they tremble.  We see in Mark and Luke that the demons refer to Christ as the “Holy One of God” and  “Son of the Most High.”  Demons understand who God is - His power and sovereignty.  They understand that Christ is God and that there will be a final judgment and punishment.

I would encourage you to look up these verses:   Matthew 8:28-32; Mark 1:24; Mark 3:11,12; Mark 5:1-13; Luke 4:34,41; Luke 8:28-31

I will continue about conversion in my next post.

I am currently reading Desiring God by John Piper.

The first chapter of the book concerns the happiness of God. Piper jumps right in to discussing some really deep theological concepts. You have to give him credit for being willing to tackle some tough issues. He tackles God’s sovereignty and the problem of evil all within the first 50 pages!

Piper is smart to begin with a foundational doctrine in the sovereignty of God. This is the basis for his book. Piper states that the foundation of Christian Hedonism is the happiness of God, but the foundation of God’s happiness is God’s sovereignty.

I love his description of God’s sovereignty. He does a great job explaining the historic, orthodox position on this. Piper presents a very high view of God. He speaks a lot concerns God’s chief end is to glorify Himself. Once again, he anticipates and responds to objections throughout the text.

Piper explains God’s sovereignty with the best of them. He says, “If God is sovereign and can do anything He pleases, then none of His purposes can be frustrated.” This really reminds me of a quote by R.C. Sproul in Chosen By God (If there is any part of creation outside of God’s sovereignty, then God is simply not sovereign. If God is not sovereign, then God is not God.). Piper then tackles the problem of evil head-on. He uses many biblical illustrations to make his point.

Piper is tackling a pretty tough topic. He has to tackle even tougher topics to make his point. Piper is truly a good communicator because he writes not just to be understood but writes so that he is not misunderstood.

The first chapter is definitely one I will refer to again as reference material.

I am currently reading Desiring God by John Piper.

Piper begins his book with that great statement from the Westminster Catechism: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” He explains that the “and” is not two different chief ends but one in the same. He even suggests revising the statement to read, “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.”

Piper tells us that he began his Christian life thinking that he basically had to be miserable to be serving God correctly. Piper goes on to explain why it is not wrong for us to want to be happy, BUT we must direct that happiness in the proper ways. Piper has learned in his life that if we truly praise and worship God for being God, we will fulfill the deepest longings of our hearts and experience true happiness and joy. Interesting concept.

Piper states that joy is not a mere option alongside worship but is an essential component of worship.

Piper does a good job of making sure that he is not misunderstood in what he is communicating. He anticipates wrong thoughts and motives to what he is trying to say and combats those.