Ask Pastor John

John Piper, theologian, pastor, and author known for preaching and founding Desiring God, discusses why long seasons of sorrow appear in Scripture. He offers three reasons emphasizing God’s different relation to time, how drawn-out judgment reveals human depravity, and how Israel’s long story prepares for the coming of Christ. He also highlights recurring mercy woven through prolonged suffering.

A discussion of cultural debates about singleness and rising unmarried rates. A critique of two mistaken views: marriage as oppression or singleness as automatic liberation. A look at freedom as wanting what God wills and belonging to Christ. An exploration of why Paul values singleness for undivided devotion while affirming marriage’s own gift.

John Piper, pastor, theologian, and author, explores why Paul links sex to worship and the body to God’s temple. He discusses Corinthian false teachings that treated the body as irrelevant. He connects sexual ethics to living for God’s glory and argues sacredness, not just harm, defines sin.

John Piper, theologian and pastor known for Reformed teaching and founding Desiring God, critiques sermons that stop at forgiveness. He traces the New Testament pattern from Christ to holiness. He explains how union with Christ and the cross empower transformed, visible Christian living.

A calm conversation about whether heaven will truly last forever and if happiness can endure a million years. They explore Scripture, the cross, and Christ's ongoing priesthood as foundations for eternal life. The discussion considers God's covenant faithfulness, the church's role in displaying divine wisdom, and what everlasting joy might feel like far into the future.

A listener wrestles with loneliness after refusing worldly entertainment. A diagnosis of nominal faith and a call to hold firm to convictions. Practical steps for finding like-minded friends and creating wholesome alternatives. Counsel to saturate the mind with Scripture and pursue pleasures that last into eternity.

A dive into what it means to be a “living sacrifice” and how believers are both dead to sin and alive to God. The talk traces how presenting our bodies ties to renewing the mind and changing our evaluations and desires. It explores spiritual worship as preferring God’s enjoyment, the death of old longings, and practical resistance to social pressure through new desires.

Questions about work, purpose, and waiting for a sign set the stage. A debate over whether every believer is called to go overseas unfolds. Seven practical factors for discerning a missions call are laid out. The role of spiritual gifts, recurring compassion for a people, practical skills, and church affirmation are highlighted.

A discussion of whether the biblical 'whoever' really includes anyone who believes. A clear contrast between faith-based salvation and performance or ritual. A look at human rebellion, moral inability, and how divine election changes the will. Practical hope for bold evangelism rooted in sovereign grace.

A conversation about Romans 8 as a bedrock of hope for people facing grief and suffering. It explores how the Spirit helps in weakness and prays when words fail. Discussion covers who the promise applies to and how all things, even pain, are woven into a larger good. The talk highlights God’s meticulous care and the eternal perspective that gives suffering purpose.