About this podcast
John Piper answering tough theological and pastoral questions.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 1,000 episodes
- Scrolling the Soul Shallow · 13 minEntertainment swamps nearly all of life in triviality. So, how can we resist the tide and embrace a wholehearted, soul-satisfying pursuit of God?
- The Flavors of Holy Joy · 13 minA well-cooked meal and a newborn baby fill our hearts with different delights. Pastor John explains how God’s gifts offer us a multicolored experience of joy.
- How Evil Works · 14 minHow does Satan influence the world, and where do we see his work most clearly? Pastor John describes Satan’s power and limits under Christ’s victorious work.
- Peace for Second-Guessers · 13 minHow do we know when we’ve worked hard enough? Pastor John offers six ways to fight anxiety and rest in the grace of Christ.
- Was Piper Unprepared? · 15 minIn 1980, Bethlehem Baptist Church hired 34-year-old John Piper as lead pastor. Pastor John reflects on the life experience and biblical worldview that prepared him for ministry.
- Happiness Myths to Avoid · 14 minModern psychology defines happiness as “self-fulfillment.” But without God, our souls will always long for greater satisfaction and joy.
- When God Is Against Me · 13 minCan God act as a Christian’s enemy through suffering? Pastor John explains how God’s painful providences do not conflict with his enduring love for his children.
- Can My Pain Kill My Sins? · 11 minDoes suffering kill the sin within us? Pastor John argues from 1 Peter 4:1 that believers die to sin with Christ so we can live to his righteousness.
- Trapped in a Meaningless Life · 16 minLoss can lead to despair over God’s plan for our lives. When we can’t perceive meaning in life, Pastor John counsels us to find comfort in God’s glorious purpose in Christ.
- Do Good People Get Hurt? · 13 minDoes the Bible promise that believers will not be harmed for doing good? Pastor John explains the context of 1 Peter 3:13 and God’s sovereign wisdom in suffering.
- The Marriage Miracle That Takes Time · 13 minLoving our spouses for better or worse includes loving them through their spiritual apathy. Pastor John gives ten encouragements for the weary.
- When You’re Not Sorry · 12 minWhen someone confronts you wrongly, should you apologize? Pastor John encourages humility and reconciliation without giving in to emotional manipulation.
- The Gospel Before Jesus Died · 14 minDid Jesus preach the gospel before his death and resurrection? Pastor John calls us to a deeper understanding of God as Creator and King, and Jesus as Lord and Savior.
- The Perils of a Quick Fix · 12 minHow can we witness to those who just want a quick fix? Pastor John presses home the shocking reality of eternity and the astounding love of Jesus.
- When I’m Too Weak to Be Productive · 12 minCan a disabled mother model the Proverbs 31 woman? Pastor John describes the gift of a heart that hopes in God’s steadfast love.
- Six Traits of a Forgettable Sermon · 13 minRigorous exposition isn’t at odds with engaging preaching. Pastor John encourages pastors to work for creativity when technical, abstract sermons feel easier.
- Do We Need to Go to Church Every Week? · 13 minGathering with other Christians is a crucial way to encourage and be encouraged in Christ. But do we really need to gather every week?
- The Joy That Sustained Jesus · 13 minJesus endured unspeakable agony at the cross. Pastor John marvels at the force of his love sustained by expectant joy.
- The Barrier to Doctrinal Maturity · 13 minIs the Bible accessible only to readers with a high IQ? Pastor John reframes biblical maturity as a moral issue centered on our obedience, not our intellect.
- Daily Vigilance for Lifelong Productivity · 13 minDaily productivity requires often elusive focus and grit. Pastor John offers ten charges to live each day to the glory of God.
- Why Did Jesus Call Her a Dog? · 11 minDid Jesus demean the Canaanite woman he called a dog? Pastor John explains how Jesus’s test revealed her great faith — and her adoption as one of God’s own.
- When Walking Away Feels Good · 14 minWhy should we follow Jesus when life seems easier without him? Pastor John responds to a man questioning the cost of daily obedience.
- How a Crushed Faith Comes Home · 12 minDeep suffering can drive us away from true hope and comfort. But our Father waits to gather us back to himself.
- When Nice People Face God · 15 minDoes eternal punishment in hell bring God glory? Pastor John challenges the rejection of God’s judgment by pointing to his unmerited mercies and perfect righteousness.
- Can My Silence Cost Souls? · 14 minWhy does evangelism matter when God has chosen whom he will save? Pastor John unpacks and rejoices in our role as God’s instruments.
- The Pleasure Trap · 14 minHow can Christians avoid placing a relationship or hobby over a desire for God? Pastor John calls us to let earthly delights turn us Godward.
- Selfies in the End Times · 10 minAre selfies a sign of the end times? Pastor John looks beyond smartphones and social media to our society’s desire for deep satisfaction.
- Your Regrets Cannot Ruin You · 14 minCan past sins separate us from the love of God? Pastor John offers hope in God’s promised forgiveness for believers wrestling with crippling shame.
- Why a Crowd Got Resurrected · 14 minAt Jesus’s last breath, a crowd of saints rose from their tombs in Jerusalem. Pastor John offers six reasons Matthew’s Gospel includes this event.
- Does God Owe You? · 14 minWhat’s the relationship between our good deeds and God’s reward? When he empowers us to obey him, he loves to celebrate the beauty of his grace.
- Doomscrolling Done Right · 15 minHow does God intend for us to deal with tragedy in the news? Pastor John offers six reasons why suffering should drive us to repentance and action.
- When Your Boss Expects You to Lie · 10 minHow do we respond when an employer expects us to compromise the truth? Pastor John offers counsel for keeping an uncompromised faith in the workplace.
- Surviving Financial Panics · 14 minHow can we fight anxiety through financial panic and stress? Pastor John offers five truths about God’s character to calm our hearts and minds.
- If Jesus Returns Tonight · 12 minHow would we use our time if Christ were coming back tonight? Pastor John gives ten transforming ways to live while waiting for the second coming.
- Why Good Men Fail God · 13 minKing Asa worshiped God almost all his days, but he drifted in his old age. So, how should we respond when sin corrupts good men?
- Should You Marry Her Anyway? · 12 minDoes past sexual sin ruin a future marriage? Pastor John counsels a confused young man to trust God’s redeeming love for repentant sexual sinners.
- God’s Plan for Your Prayers · 12 minIf God is sovereign, why should we pray? Pastor John encourages us to seek God with confidence in his power and plan for our lives.
- When Your Pastor Feels Distant · 15 minHow can the pastor of a growing church care for each member? Pastor John encourages shepherds to care tenderly for the flock and depend on God’s mercy.
- Breaking Prayer Ruts · 13 minHow can we shift our prayers from rote repetition to an awareness of God’s larger purposes? Pastor John models praying Scripture back to God.
- Obedience Will Never Ruin Your Life · 12 minHow can Christians act in obedience when they face a life-changing cost? Grace can sustain us through the painful consequences of following God.
- Why God’s Protection Still Hurts · 14 minHow can we reconcile the pain we feel in this fallen world with God’s promise to keep us from all evil? Pastor John applies Psalm 121 to this life.
- Sovereignty and My Murdered Friend · 12 minEven great evil serves God’s eternal purposes — yet God also gives us precious promises to comfort us in the midst of our pain and grief.
- How to Save a Marriage · 17 minTo redeem relationships, we need humility — but how do we get that kind of sacrificial heart? Looking to Christ and his cross strips away entitlement.
- Zeal For God Gone Wrong · 11 minHow can Christians tell the difference between true and false zeal for God’s name? Pastor John examines Jehu’s tragic history in 2 Kings.
- Preaching Outrage · 14 minShould pastors expose every fresh cultural outrage from the pulpit? Pastor John encourages pastors to condemn sin without being consumed.
- Defeating Daily Anxiety · 11 minWhen we face day-to-day pressure and stress, Jesus’s teaching steadies our hearts and minds. Pastor John offers eight truths to fight anxiety.
- The God Who Gives You Worth · 10 minIs God’s pursuit of his glory and man’s pursuit of our joy a selfish transaction? Pastor John insists on keeping our joy in God connected to God himself.
- Kill Your Ego, Find Your Joy · 10 minEvery recognition and reward we receive is a gift of God’s steadfast love, poured out so that we might magnify the glory of his undeserved grace.
- The Secret Superpower of Silence · 13 minHow does Jesus’s silence before his accusers teach us how to suffer? Pastor John offers encouragement for Christians facing unjust treatment.
- The Freedom That Kills Regret · 10 minTrue freedom means our desires align with God’s; we want what he wants. Pastor John answers three questions from Galatians about Christian liberty.
