The following is part of a March 2020 post....when God's judgment upon us was only just beginning:
"....I have not seen one bit of evidence yet that the leading ministers in our nation are warning anyone that God's judgments are increasing.....nor that the church in general feels any culpability....nor that we as a country have even a tinge of anything resembling guilt. I picked a book off the shelf in the basement today merely out of curiosity....it was Billy Graham's Storm Warning....from 1992....in which he wrote this...."TROUBLE AHEAD; PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD..." Precious few ministers dare preach this today. You surely remember the biblical scene....The Israelites were rebelling against God in the wilderness....and God sent fiery serpents who would bite them....and people were dying. Moses called out to God who told him to construct and raise a bronze serpent....and whosoever looked upon it after being bitten would live....for that symbolized Christ raised above the earth on a cross.....look to Christ and live....(Numbers 21)....but do you remember this....many centuries later Hezekiah took that very same serpent on a pole and broke it in pieces....for the people had come to burn incense to it! Have we today (fashioned) the cross....into that bronze bull in the financial district of Manhattan....Nehushtan? (2 Kings 18:4) Is this the real object of our worship today? Are we looking to this "mere piece of brass" in order to live? If so we need to put our trust back where it belongs....in the Lord Jesus Christ....look to Christ and live."
I wanted to add this post from just a few weeks ago. We should at least from time to time examine ourselves as to whether this sacrifice of praise that we offer in our worship services is what it should be....or is it just a block to put a check in....a time where we laugh and joke on the way in....and on the way out. It is my full expectation that the day will come when we do meet as we should:
John Piper
Although I had read a lot of John Piper over the years....and read about him....and a few times heard him lecture at conferences....I did not know just how wonderful a preacher he was....until earlier this year.....and since then he is second only to Charles Spurgeon in the frequency of sermons that I listen to....many of which I have recommended here in these posts.
John Piper is known for his emphasis on joy in the Christian's life.....and that might be why I never explored his ministry more....because it seems that whenever....'joy'....is mentioned in today's evangelicalism....that it means more of a ....'happiness'....which translates into a lack of seriousness....but how wrong I was in this assumption.....for with John Piper.....'joy'......actually means....'joy....exceeding joy!'
So today's sermon at desiringggod.org is the reason for this post....for John Piper addresses this issue directly....(once again just go to the site and to the menu at the top right....and then podcasts....and then sermons.) What makes this issue of joy so extraordinary with Piper is that he has had some great disappointments in life....even recently as it relates to his former church.....but then as he mentions in today's sermon which was from 2012....I believe....those tribulations and difficulties actually.....(and only God can do this)....lead to more true joy in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His Gospel!
Update: This sermon is no longer the Sermon of the Day but still right there on the website....or you can just Google....John Piper, Sorrowful Yet Always Rejoicing.
Also: I listened to this talk by John Piper this morning and wanted to put a recommendation. It is a lecture....primarily to young Christian missions students....and Christian youth in general. It is odd....probably not anything you have heard before....and he coughs through a little bit in the beginning....some recommendation right....but it is the essence of pastoral care. Google if you will, John Piper, How to deal with the guilt of sexual failure for the glory of Christ and His global cause. The preceding two or three messages are also from that conference....and all wonderful if you are interested.
Also: I highly recommend a sermon of Piper's titled...."Do You Know What It Means To Be Born Again?"
