Tag: John Piper

Marriage Resources

Here are some new and old great marriage resources:

BOOKS

What Did You Expect? Paul Tripp – A to Z gospel guidance on the whole gamut of marriage

This Momentary Marriage John Piper – setting your marriage in the larger context of the glory of God and the mission of the church

Love that Lasts Riccucis – marital wisdom for a lifetime. The Riccucis are transparent and helpful.

Sacred Marriage Gary Thomas – marriage as transformation

The Mystery of Marriage Mike Mason – an inspiring, philosophical reflections on marriage that show us it is more than we have imagined!

ARTICLES

“First Year Off” (of marriage)

“How Do Husbands Love Wives?”

“Marriage: Cynicism and Idolatry”

Books on Justification

On Sunday we examined the gospel doctrine of Justification. I mentioned that there are several perspectives on this doctrine that are worth considering when trying to answer the question: “How do unright people get right with a righteous God?” Here are a few resources for those interested in reading and studying more on this topic:

Meditate on the Cross

This Friday we remember the brutal, unjust suffering and death of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Try not to treat it like any other day. Take some time to meditate on the cross. Consider God’s great cost in reconciling us to himself through the death of his Son. Consider the greatness of your sin that would require the death of God, but don’t stay there. Also consider and how much greater is God’s forgiveness, the triumph of his love…and anticipate his resurrection for your life.

As you meditate on the cross, consider reading some of the brief chapters in John Piper’s booklet 50 reasons Jesus Came to Die. You can download the whole book for free here. Here is a reprint of

For the Forgiveness of Our Sins:

When we forgive a debt or an offense or an injury, we don’t
require a payment for settlement. That would be the opposite
of forgiveness. If repayment is made to us for what we lost,
there is no need for forgiveness. We have our due.
Forgiveness assumes grace. If I am injured by you, grace lets
it go. I don’t sue you. I forgive you. Grace gives what someone
doesn’t deserve. That’s why forgiveness has the word give in it.
Forgiveness is not “getting” even. It is giving away the right to
get even.

That is what God does to us when we trust Christ: “Everyone
who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name”
(Acts 10:43). If we believe in Christ, God no longer holds our sins
against us. This is God’s own testimony in the Bible: “I, I am he
who wipes out your transgressions for my own sake” (Isaiah
43:25). “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove
our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
Christ Suffered and Died . . .

But this raises a problem. We all know that forgiveness is not
enough. We may only see it clearly when the injury is great—like
murder or rape. Neither society nor the universe can hold together
if judges (or God) simply say to every murderer and rapist, “Are
you sorry? Okay. The state forgives you. You may go.” In cases
like these we see that while a victim may have a forgiving spirit,
the state cannot forsake justice.

So it is with God’s justice. All sin is serious, because it is against
God (see chapter 1). He is the one whose glory is injured when we
ignore or disobey or blaspheme him. His justice will no more
allow him simply to set us free than a human judge can cancel all
the debts that criminals owe to society. The injury done to God’s
glory by our sin must be repaired so that in justice his glory shines
more brightly. And if we criminals are to go free and be forgiven,
there must be some dramatic demonstration that the honor of God
is upheld even though former blasphemers are being set free.
That is why Christ suffered and died. “In him we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses”
(Ephesians 1:7). Forgiveness costs us nothing. All our costly obedience
is the fruit, not the root, of being forgiven. That’s why we
call it grace. But it cost Jesus his life. That is why we call it just.
Oh, how precious is the news that God does not hold our sins
against us! And how beautiful is Christ, whose blood made it right
for God to do this.

Finances in a Financial Crisis

It’s an interesting providence that I had planned a message on money and the gospel for this Sunday. With the sharpest NYSE drop in history occuring today, and unemployment numbers coming out on Friday, people are going to have more questions about how to theologically and practically navigate these troubled financial times. Should we continue to give to the Lord? How much? How should I respond to lay offs and unemployment? I hope to address these questions this Sunday.

Until then, an excellent resource on developing biblical discernment on matters of faith and money is Randy Alcorn’s web page devoted to what he calls The Treasure Principle. He provides a general theology of wealth, spending, and giving. Check out the following:

While you are at it, you may want to consider John Piper’s reflections on Some of God’s Purposes in the recession:

  1. He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.
  2. He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
  3. He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
  4. He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.
  5. He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.