Category: Books

A call for endurance of the saints

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A Call For the Endurance of the Saints" is a collection of messages from the 2007 Desiring God National Conference
"Stand: A Call For the Endurance of the Saints" is a collection of messages from the 2007 Desiring God National Conference.

As they have done in past years, the folks at Desiring God have collected the talks given at the national conference and put them in book form. The 2007 conference, Stand: A Call For the Endurance of the Faith, is now being offered as a book.

Here is what it says about the book from the DG site:

Many people seek to better their lives by leaving, changing, swapping, or modifying their commitments.  But God’s Word holds up a beautiful value that, while difficult, leads to deep satisfaction and great reward: endurance. Such long, steady, hold-the-course perseverance is especially needed within our vacillating generation.

This thoughtful series, taken from the Desiring God 2007 National Conference, not only elevates the virtue of godly endurance but bears witness to its power in the Christian life through the exhortations of John Piper, John MacArthur, Jerry Bridges, Randy Alcorn and Helen Roseveare.  Each contributor represents a different kind of endurance: from MacArthur’s longtime, faithful shepherding of a church to Alcorn’s radical obedience in the culture wars, from Bridges’ unswerving patience through suffering to Roseveare’s courageous constancy on the war-torn mission field.

Stand will awaken and solidify rugged, Christ-exalting endurance in people who are weary in their faith journey or who simply long to remain firm to the end.  And for everyone who dreams of a Christian culture-shift from brief trial runs to lifelong commitments, this latest offering is a watershed that will serve to seal that vision in people’s minds and hearts.

You can order the book here or, if you want, you can go here to listen, view or download the messages. The topics include:

  • Certainties that Drive Enduring Ministry, Part 1 (John MacArthur)
  • A Conversation with John Piper and John MacArthur
  • Four Essentials to Finishing Well (Jerry Bridges)
  • Certainties That Drive Enduring Ministry, Part 2 (John MacArthur)
  • Today’s Decisions Determine Who You’ll Be Tomorrow (Randy Alcorn)
  • Speaker Panel Q&A (Various)
  • A Call for the Perseverance of the Saints (Helen Roseveare)
  • Getting Old for the Glory of God (John Piper)

The new ESV Study Bible

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The new English Standard Version Study Bible, coming in October, promises to be a great resource for those seeking to understand better the Word of God.
The new English Standard Version Study Bible, coming in October, promises to be a great resource for those seeking to understand better the Word of God.

The English Standard Version Study Bible will be released on Oct. 15. The word of God is powerful, and this version I believe will be a tremendous tool to help many understand it better. The following video details some of this version’s awesome features and also includes some endorsements.

You can learn more about the ESV Study Bible at its Web site. Among the things you can find there are explanations into what went into this particular edition and free downloads of sample books and chapters in the new ESV Study Bible. And, for those who order a print version, you can get a free online version of the ESV, which features resources not available in the print edition.

Miscellanea: Piper’s “Specatular Sins,” Responding to the Poet, Pray for China, Stop Tinkering and Face God

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News and notes after a long break from blogging:

John Piper's latest book is "Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ"
John Piper's latest book is "Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ"

PIPER’S NEW BOOK: You can now pre-order John Piper’s latest book, “Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ” from the Desiring God Web site for only $5. The 144-page book comes from a series of sermons Piper preached in 2007 at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. From the site:

“What does the fall of Satan reveal about Christ’s glory? How does Adam’s sin magnify our Lord? How does the glory of Jesus shine through in Judas’ betrayal? How is the honor of Jesus at stake in the sin and evil, the suffering and the calamities and the wickedness, which abound in the world today? In this book John Piper seeks to provide a biblical perspective on God’s sovereign and righteous governance over even the sinful acts of men. History’s greatest sins do not thwart God’s purposes to save his people and glorify his Son; they fulfill them. And being grounded in this hope is the key to “Christ-exalting strength in calamity and Christ-exalting courage in conflict.”

RESPONDING TO THE POET: Abraham Piper, on the DG site, shares an encounter a missionary doctor had with a Muslim man recently at a wedding. It is a great example of how the Holy Spirit gives us the right words at the right time. It reminds me of the sermon today at church on Acts 4 and how Peter spoke before the religious leaders.

PRAY FOR CHINA: Again, from the DG site, we are reminded to pray for China during the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games in the coming weeks. A good resource, mentioned there, is the China Games and Beyond 40-day prayer journal.

STOP TINKERING WITH YOUR SOUL: From the wonderful Of First Importance site, great words today from A.W. Tozer:

“While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves – blessed riddance. The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ, the very thing he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him.”

– A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 1993), 85.

Staying married is not about staying in love

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John Piper has an upcoming book on marriage that is based on a sermon series he did last year at Bethlehem Baptist Church. Based on what I’ve heard of those messages, it should be excellent. In one of his messages, Piper talks of the wonder of marriage:

Marriage is more wonderful than anyone on earth knows. And the reasons it is wonderful can only be learned from God’s special revelation and can only be cherished by the work of the Holy Spirit to enable us to behold and embrace the wonder. The reason we need the Spirit’s help is that the wonder of marriage is woven into the wonder of the gospel of the cross of Christ, and the message of the cross is foolishness to the natural man, and so the meaning of marriage is foolishness to the natural man (1 Corinthians 2:14).

And because of that thinking, we are confused about what is intended by marriage. He explains in the following excerpt from that message:

Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology: Online

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UPDATE: The person who posted this online did so illegally. Like others who linked, I was unaware of this. My apologies. Rather, go here to see this awesome book.

What this book is about:

The Christian church has a long tradition of systematic theology, that is, studying theology and doctrine organized around fairly standard categories such as the Word of God, redemption, and Jesus Christ. This introduction to systematic theology has several distinctive features:
– A strong emphasis on the scriptural basis for each doctrine and teaching
– Clear writing, with technical terms kept to a minimum
– A contemporary approach, treating subjects of special interest to the church today
– A friendly tone, appealing to the emotions and the spirit as well as the intellect
– Frequent application to life – Resources for worship with each chapter
– Bibliographies with each chapter that cross-reference subjects to a wide range of other systematic theologies.


Essential Piper

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Desiring God is now offering what it terms the “essential Piper trilogy” of Desiring God, The Pleasures of God and Future Grace for $22.50. What are these books about? Glad you asked.

DESIRING GOD: MEDITATIONS OF A CHRISTIAN HEDONIST

The message of Desiring God is that God is most glorified in us when we
are  most satisfied in him. In this book, Piper calls this worldview
“Christian Hedonism” and explains why pursuing maximum joy is essential
to glorifying God. He discusses the implications of this for
conversion, worship, love, Scripture, prayer, money, marriage,
missions, and suffering.

THE PLEASURES OF GOD: MEDITATIONS ON GOD’S DELIGHT IN BEING GOD

One way to see the glory of God is to meditate upon the object of his
delight. In this reissued version with a new cover design, John Piper
unfo  lds for us a vision of God through the lens of his happiness. What
most delights the happiest Being in the universe? God’s gladness in
being God. If God’s excellencies can be admired in his pleasures, and
if we tend to become like what we admire and enjoy, then focusing on
these pleasures can help us to be gradually conformed to his likeness.
In other words, we will be most satisfied in God when we know why God
is most satisfied in God. This version includes the same content as the
revised and expanded edition published in 2000.

FUTURE GRACE: THE PURIFYING POWER OF LIVING BY FAITH IN FUTURE GRACE

What is future grace? It is all that God promises to be for us from
this second on. Saving faith means being confident and satisfied in
this ever- arriving future grace. This is why saving faith is also
sanctifying faith. The power of sin’s promise is broken by the power of
a superior satisfaction; namely, faith in future grace. Gratitude for
past grace was never meant to empower future obedience. Tomorrow’s
crisis demands tomorrow’s grace. And faith that future grace will be
there is the victory that overcomes the world. Future Grace contains 31
chapters – one for each day of the month – including practical chapters
on how faith in future grace defeats anxiety, pride, shame, lust,
despondency and more.
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Turning to the Psalms in despair and in hope: Good counsel from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

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Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great preacher of the 20th Century, wrote “Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Its Cure,” a collection of 21 sermons he originally delivered at Westminster Chapel in London. “Christian people.” writes Lloyd-Jones, “too often seem to be perpetually in the doldrums and too often give this appearance of unhappiness and of lack of freedom and absence of joy. There is no question at all but that this is the main reason why large numbers of people have ceased to be interested in Christianity.”

Believing that Christian joy was one of the most potent factors in the spread of Christianity in the early centuries. Lloyd-Jones not only lays bare the causes that have robbed many Christians of spiritual vitality but also points the way to the cure that is found through the mind and spirit of Christ.

This summer, John Piper is going through the Psalms in a sermon series at Bethlethem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Last week’s sermon, “Spiritual Depression in the Psalms,” leans on Lloyd-Jones’ work and looks at how Psalm 42 is an antidote for depression. Below is an excerpt, go here for the whole sermon.

Pilgrim’s Progress audiobook for free

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\"Pilgrim\'s Progress\"Christianaudio.com is offering an audiobook of John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” for free as a download with the code JUN2008 when you checkout. From the site:

John Bunyan was a simple maker and mender of pots and kettles who received very little education. In spite of that, he penned the most successful allegory ever written. He lost his first wife and was imprisoned for twelve years for his compelling—but unlicensed—preaching. Nevertheless, his preaching about the gravity of sin, salvation by grace, the cost of discipleship, perseverance, and the glory of eternal life lives on in the signs and symbols of The Pilgrim’s Progress. Embark on a perilous journey with Christian, the lead character, from the City of Destruction to the luminous safe haven of the Celestial City. The journey will encourage you to “set your hope fully on the grace to be given you” amidst the obstacles of life.

And, for more free audio, go here to hear a great biography of the man who wrote “Pilgrim’s Progress.”

Miscellanea: New books from Piper, review of The Shack, Calvinism, gay marriage

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  • NEW BOOKS FROM PIPER: Since I get much out of the writing of John Piper, as do many others, I was thrilled to hear his latest update at the conclusion of his writing leave: Four books are in the works! Great news!
  • REVIEW OF THE SHACK: Tim Challies has an extensive review of William P. Young’s The Shack that takes a hard look at what makes this book dangerous and heretical to many despite its popularity.
  • DEBATE ON CALVINISM: Dr. James White gives a powerful closing statement in a debate with George Bryson on Calvinism.
  • MACARTHUR ON COURT RULING: John MacArthur weighs in following the recent California Supreme Court ruling that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

Christian or not, we are all believers

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\We often use a special jargon that some of us, as Christians, are “believers” while others are not. While that is true, in a sense, when talking about a belief in Jesus Christ, the truth is that we all hold to some kind of beliefs. Tim Keller, in his excellent book “The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism,” explains:

Some say [religion] is a form of belief in God. But that would not fit Zen Buddhism, which does not really believe in God at all. Some say it is belief in the supernatural. But that does not fit Hinduism, which does not believe in a supernatural realm beyond the material world, but only a spiritual reality within the empirical. What is religion then? It is a set of beliefs that explain what life is all about, who we are, and the most important things that human beings should spend their time doing. For example, some think that this material world is all there is, that we are here by accident and when we die we just rot, and therefore the important thing is to choose to do what makes you happy and not let others impose their beliefs on you. Notice that though this is not an explicit, “organized” religion, it contains a master narrative, an account about the meaning of life along with a recommendation for how to live based on that account of things.

Some call this a “worldview” while others call it a “narrative identity.” In either case it is a set of faith-assumptions about the nature of things. It is an implicit religion. Broadly understood, faith in some view of the world and human nature informs everyone’s life. Everyone lives and operates out of some narrative identity, whether it is thought out and reflected upon or not. All who say “You ought to do this” or “You shouldn’t do that” reason out of such an implicit moral and religious position. Pragmatists say that we should leave our deeper worldviews behind and find consensus about “what works”– but our view of what works is determined by (to use a Wendell Berry title) what we think people are for. Any picture of happy human life that “works” is necessarily informed by deep-seated beliefs about the purpose of human life. Even the most secular pragmatists come to the table with deep commitments and narrative accounts of what it means to be human (The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, 15,16).

Tim Keller explains why he wrote “The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism”

Go here to hear sermons related to Keller’s book