Joy Changes Everything: An Invitation to Christian Hedonism

last evening I spoke over at linear theological library on the topic was Jonathan Edwards a Christian Aid inist hedonist a TD o n ist the day before we had a panel on Christian hedonism self-denial and the enjoyment of creation so I'm brimming with Christian hedonism and want to talk to you about it this morning because I think it's one of the most important things I could say to you and I think it's the heart or very close to the heart of the biblical message but I can imagine somebody hearing the word hedonism with the word Christian stuck on the front of it and feeling something like are you kidding me don't you realize what happened 180 miles west of here last Sunday in southern springs that you still want to be cute with your little pet phrase no I don't want to be cute under the call of God to preach the Word of God and under the spirit of worship that is in this place I don't do cute I don't like cute I get angry at churches that do cute I'm also aware that between last Sunday and now 7,000 people in America died every day and many of them in excruciating pain and probably most of them with no hope of heaven and I am aware that hurricane Harvey may cost your region a hundred and ninety billion dollars and massive hardship in the lives of thousands and I am aware as I preach that Sonoma County wildfires cost California 2.8 billion and ruined 14,000 homes and killed 40 people in the last several weeks and I am aware that President Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim jong-un go back and forth with their barbs and put us on the brink of nuclear war and I am aware that Charlottesville has pulled a thread on a fabric of racial harmony that threatens to unravel what some of us have worked on for decades and I am aware that in a room with several thousand folks every manner of suffering is represented cancer is here divorce and almost divorce is here runaway teenagers who wish they were here lost jobs are here and for a few of you perhaps this is your first Sunday back after one of the most worst periods in your life I don't do cute ever so the reason I want to talk about Christian hedonism and use that phrase which I mean very seriously a life devoted to pleasure in God the reason I want to talk about Christian hedonism is because number one fifty years ago in the fall of 1968 almost fifty years it provided for me a resolution of one of the deepest most troubling tensions of my life that I couldn't figure out and has made more difference in my life for the last 50 years than anything else that's the first reason I want to talk to you about it and the second reason I want to talk to you about it is because if it took root in your life if by the Holy Spirit and my message it could take root in your life everything would change for your good and for God's glory so those are my two reasons let's take them one at a time the first one the resolution of the tension fifty years ago that it resolved I grew up in Greenville South Carolina Southern Baptist Church Wade Hampton Boulevard in a home a gospel loving happy home I am so profoundly thankful for my church and my family that I grew up in when I went off to college however there was a tension in my life I could not figure out it went like this I knew from the Bible and I knew from my father that God designed me to glorify him in everything I do my dad quoted to me first Corinthians 10:31 as often as any verse son whatever you do whether you eat or drink whatever you do son you do it to the glory of God so I knew I knew that from my father I knew it from from the Bible I knew something else I knew Johnny Piper wanted to be happy and I could no more not want to be happy than I could not get hungry after two days of fasting and I couldn't put those two together God means to get glory in my life and I want to be happy and there hung in the air maybe it hangs in your air the assumption that if you do something to be happy you ruin it's morality because I had these memories of preachers who would come to the church and they'd say things like if you want to do God's will you put your will on the altar I thought really so it's always God's will or happiness they the the longing piece the aching piece the wanting piece the desiring piece the willing piece burning in my soul gets got to go on the altar and die and what's left is God's glory and God's will and your happiness and your want and your longing in your desire they just stay on the altar and you're probably sitting there thinking well I wasn't a very good Church you went to or something like that and and it I'm willing to own this is my fault that I couldn't see the problem but it was real and it was troubling and I didn't know whether to leave Wheaton's campus and go into the inner city and search of some kind of meaning and significance in my life because that's gonna ruin it anyway because you're not supposed to seek your own significance your own happiness you just so you may feel a little bit of the attention that I had in those days now if you have a Bible I'm gonna show you where God did the miracle so open your Bibles to Philippians chapter 1 I'm gonna take you to the the text that is the central text for defining what I mean by Christian hedonism the text that has defined life and death for me for these decades and which resolve the tension and has flavored and guided everything I do for the last 40 or 50 years Philippians chapter 1 and I'm sure you share the same view of preaching here that I do in that it really doesn't matter what the preacher thinks what matters is can he show us in the book that what he thinks is in the book and if he if he can't if I can't show you in the book what I mean by Christian hedonism you should not pay any attention except to discern that is not true okay so I mean for you to see this here and we're going to take it very carefully and I hope you have a good translation with all the words in it because some like translations leave out important words like 4fo are one of the most important words in the Bible let's read verse 20 and 21 it is my eager expectation and hope Paul says that I will not at all be ashamed but that with full courage now as always Christ will be the ESV says honored one what other words you might have I love this big long Greek word Megillah through mega ah foon face it I can't even pronounce it believe me it's big as long as beautiful and it sounds like magnified Sampson all I'm going to say magnify Allah Jesus to be magnified honored shown to be magnificent okay that's what we get from this Greek word let's keep reading it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not at all be ashamed but with full courage now as always Christ will be honored magnified shown to be magnificent in my body whether by life or by death for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain so notice first in verse 20 wouldn't you agree that Paul is giving expression here to a passion in his life and that feels like an understatement to me to say a passion I think it's the passion but I'm happy if you would just this verse by saying whoa that's clear a passion in Paul's life is Christ will be magnified in my body I will be I will live so as to live and die so that Christ looked really good in me that's what he's saying right so if we're together on that when Christ is going to be magnified in my body whether by life or by death then the key question becomes how does it happen and I I loved the book of Philippians as a teenager I got my Bible from when I was 15 years old it's all marked up in red big J oh why is in red pencil at the top of the book pretty good summary for a 15 year old I've I've read this but I had never until the fall of 1968 followed the logic of verses 2223 the logic followed the chain of thought the chain of reasoning with little words like for here at the beginning of verse 21 so wouldn't you agree now that when he begins verse 21 with the word for or because he's giving the basis of how this comes about so do you want Christ to be magnified in your body in life and in death how does it come about that's your question I hope I want that to happen in my life how will it come about what's the basis of it verse 21 notice that to live in verse 21 for to me to live corresponds to by life back in verse 20 and notice that to die in verse 21 for me to lives Christ to die to die in verse 21 corresponds to by death back in verse 20 so clearly he's explaining in verse 21 how it is that by life or by death Christ will be shown to be magnificent in his body so verse 21 is just built right underneath verse 20 to explain how it works how does it happen in life and in death that Christ is shown to be magnificent here's Paul's answer so I'm asking Paul explain to me help me know how I could live with you so that in my bodily life especially in my dying Christ would look really great if I'm asking you Paul and Paul answers my death will make Christ I'm just gonna pick up on the death pace now my death will make Christ look magnificent because for me to die is gain so I'm leaving up to live to live just that's another sermon and if you want to know the answer to what that means I think just go over and Link it with chapter 3 verse 8 then go over and Link it with chapter 4 verse 11 to 13 but that's another that's another sermon I just want to know this morning how to die to make him look great so that's here collapse verse 20 and 21 down to this and you read Christ will be shown to be magnificent in my body I won't be shown to be magazine Christ will be shown to be magnificent in my body by death for explanation foundation to me to die is gain now just pause here and let you think you got that is that working for you is this making sense is the logic coming alive for you the way it came alive for me in the fall of 1968 when you die let's just think about this for a minute when you die spouse is gone sex is gone children are gone dream retirement is gone hobbies are gone until the resurrection body with all of its pleasures are gone you're in heaven bodies in the grave all of that loss right gone that's why you cry it's why I feel so strange scary even without faith so what does he mean then when he says it's game what can he possibly mean when everybody in this room's know that the list of losses at death are enormous it's a long list and Paul uses one word to describe it game and the answer as you know is keep reading follow the logic all the way to 23 so let's do that if I am to live in the flesh that means fruitful labor for me yet which I shall choose I cannot tell I'm hard pressed between the two that is living and dying up I'm a hard press between the two my desire is to depart and be with Christ and here's the answer for that is far better than what everything otherwise the text doesn't work so now we know what he means my game don't we when he says the reason Christ is shown to be magnificent in my dying is because dying is gain now we know it gain means it means Christ you lose everything you get Christ way those in the scales Christ goes down everything flies away on the other side and you call it gain now you think through for a moment how that works and what it implies for your for your life Christ is shown to be magnificent in our dying when we experience him as more satisfying than all the pleasures that life in this world can give is that I'm just asking you is that a faithful paraphrase of verses 20 and 21 and the logic between them I'll say it again Christ is shown to be magnificent in our dying when we experience him as more satisfying than all the pleasures that life in this world which is loosed lost at death can give or to state it with my motto Christ is most magnified in me when I'm most satisfied in him especially through suffering and death that is my definition of Christian hedonism Christ is most magnified in my life when I am most satisfied in him especially in the moments of suffering and death where everybody expects me to be dissatisfied and when I'm not dissatisfied but deeply satisfied in Jesus in the moment when everybody in the world is supposed to be dissatisfied who looks good Jesus looks good he looks like a treasure beyond everything this world has to offer at that moment all I did for the last 50 years is write books about that you just let if that little seed goes deep into the center of the soil of your soul the branches that come up and the fruit that will be born will be incalculable for the next decades of your life the implications are absolutely staggering but before I give you 5 or 10 of those let me just help you see how it solved the tension am I twenty-two-year-old life so my tension was God a m-- to be glorified in John Piper's life 1st Corinthians 10:31 and John Piper wants to be happy and can't stop wanting to be happy because he seems to be wired that way by his maker and I think that's true I think you are wired to want to be happy the same way your body is wired to get hungry and that's no accident so I came to realize that God's passion to be glorified and my passion to be satisfied were not alternatives Paul said test this now if you agree with me you're buying into a lot so don't go quickly test it by the word Paul said Christ is magnified not instead of his being satisfied but by means of his being satisfied in Christ do you believe that he did not say Christ will be magnified instead of Paul being satisfied in his death he said Christ will be magnified through by means of Paul counting him gain when everything is lost in other words more satisfied in Christ than anything if you believe that you're a Christian aid inist you don't have to use the phrase you don't like the phrase forget the phrase be the reality God is Christ is most magnified most glorified in you when in life and death you are most satisfied in him ergo therefore 24/7 the rest of your life you're on a quest to be satisfied in Christ and your your heart is very sinful very deceptive and it will trick you over and over again into thinking this TV show or this pursuit of fame or this perfect family or this money will be more satisfying than Christ therefore if you believe what I just said you will be now on a lifelong warfare to kill that over and over again to take the sword of the Spirit and stick it every day that's what life is killing suicidal deceitful desires that tell you this world is more satisfying than Jesus you got a stick it with the sword every single day so that tension went away and everything changed for 50 years Here I am 71 years old singing the praises of the fall of 68 because God came down in Dan fuller and CS Lewis and Jonathan hedges and the Psalms and the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1 and opened my eyes to see they're not alternatives they're not alternatives though what you say to a kid when you want him to go to the mission field is not mainly you want to do God's will then put your will on the altar that's not mainly I get it there are biblical warrants for that kind of talk mainly you want to say get a new heart kid so you love the will of God you love the will of God you can't imagine a happier place than Afghanistan in a shack trying to win Muslims for Jesus risking your life you can't imagine a more significant happy fulfilling satisfying life that's little difference in saying put that on the altar put your will on the altar no I want a new wheel I want a new wheel that is totally in sync with Jesus will and it's wheels so what makes him happy makes me happy and because me to die make my day so that that tension went away and everything changed and for the remainder of the time that we have I've got ten things written down there little change in your life okay so this is all application ten things that are gonna change if you if you you people who are not in your head you know a minute ago I think I think that's right I think what you said about verses 20 and 21 is right that Christ is most magnified in you when you're most satisfied in him especially in times of suffering and death I think that's right well if you if you believe that if that really takes root here's what's going to happen I'll give you ten examples of what's gonna happen number one we've seen this already I'll say it again it changes the way you approach your own death and that's a big issue if you want to make Christ look great in your dying you don't have to worry about some big performance some big achievement some big heroic sacrifice there's a simple childlike laying yourself into the arms of the one who makes all your losses gain just that's the battle there will be a battle will you lay your self into the arms of the one who with his almighty power infinite wisdom immeasurable love assures you by his word this is going to be gain then you rest and are satisfied in his word I I told my wife this morning I'm gonna announce to these people what's going to go on my gravestone if I die before I get home and that's a little little open window to leave me a chance to change my mind later but you now have it I'm gonna tell you what will be on John Piper's gravestone if I have a brain aneurysm and and fall over here in five minutes which could happen because I'm on a blood thinner and and you know they don't work all the time and I've been sitting on a plane and it just goes you're gone that would be was a really easy way to go just awesome and preaching what more could you ask so if that happens so where's my wife as you and Noel okay she's okay way over there so my wife is here and I'm saying to her and and to you here's what's going on my gravestone if I die in the next 18 hours or so Savior magnified soul satisfied Philippians 1 22 23 I like that Savior magnified soul satisfied underneath Philippians 1 : 20-23 that to happen yet or it could be a get shot and you too number two Christian hedonism changes how we think about conversion listen to Matthew 13:44 the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which a man found just like finding the kingship of Jesus right for your life finding Jesus is king it's a man found and covered up and then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field that's a picture of conversion isn't it becoming a Christian so I'm sure there people in this room now who are not Christian truly Bible believing born-again lovers of Jesus and your what it what does it mean it means it means not only believing truth but finding a treasure so evangelism becomes not only persuasion about truth but pointing to a treasure a treasure that's more valuable than anything you have that's conversion called conversion the Holy Spirit does something and suddenly Christ is attractive beautiful glorious sufficient needed a magnified Savior and the soul is honoring that by a growing sense of your enough you satisfy me all that stuff I've been living for she's getting weaker and weaker doesn't happen all at once first Peter describes the new birth and then if this grass colchester break would get out of the way at chapter two just forget chapter breaks right they really get in a way especially between chapter 1 and 2 of first Peter oh my that's a bad one just get rid of that chapter break and it goes right into telling you how you move from new birth to growth like newborn babes desire the sincere spiritual milk that by it you may grow up into salvation if indeed you tasted that the Lord is good and all that's writing back to you were born again not with perishable seed but with imperishable through the living and abiding Word of God shame on you chapter break we've got to see what it is to be born and then to grow by desiring the milk of the word which helps you taste and see he's really good and that's how you grow that's the fight so conversion Matthew 13:44 is the discovery of a treasure that is more valuable than anything number 3 Christian hedonism changes the way we think about faith and the fight of faith listen to Jesus in John 6:35 I am the bread of life whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes that is has faith talking about what faith is whoever believes in Me shall never thirst so bread and water Jesus is bread that satisfies hunger and living water that satisfies thirst and with if you put the first and second half of the verse together they illumine each other I read it again I am the bread of life whoever come to me shall not hunger whoever believes in Me shall never thirst so what would be your definition of faith if you just defined it on the basis of that verse alone and mine would be believing in Jesus is a coming to him as bread as water so as to have the soul hunger and soul thirst satisfied that's the faith and I fear I don't know how it is here but the milieu I grew up in faith was not talked about that very like that very often it was almost always heady and decision istic like here's some ideas here's some choices you can make make the choices and now you're in not a word about hunger thirst soul satisfaction new desires new tastes miracle new birth but I'm saying faith is not a mere decision it's a miracle it's the awakening of you satisfied my soul's hunger you satisfy my soul's thirst you are what I was made for and all I need you are it come on in that's faith this this this little stuff about a mere decision leaves our churches filled with carnal non-christians who call themselves Christians so be careful believe what you sing and you'll be okay number three or is that three that was three number four Christian hedonism will change what you think about evil evil what is evil how would you define evil here is a description of evil from Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 13 my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters second they have hewed out for themselves broken cisterns they have dug dry empty wells broken cisterns that can hold no water so what's your definition of evil evil is the creator of the universe who loved us enough to send his son to die in our place holding out infinite satisfaction in the fountain of living water and we taste it and go and I don't think so and we start digging digging and digging in the world I will find it I will find it here not there that is evil that's the evil behind all evils murder in Sutherland Springs is not the ultimate evil it's what was going on before and inside in relation to God Almighty that said you don't count in my life I will have my revenge I will have it my way I will do my thing to get my satisfaction and you can take a trip creator that's ultimate evil and it yields a million other evils like murder and we get so worked up about murder and and rape and adultery and stealing and God hardly ever comes into the picture for a lot of people when defining evil so here's my definition of evil Jeremiah my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters what makes it so evil is that he is so good I have water for you I know what your souls need I know what satisfies you so I made your soul I know what it needs and I'm it and evil is No thank you or no now we'll find my way and do my thing and I will dig my wells and my sisters and I will suck on this dirt till I'm dead and then I'll go to hell and I will hate you forever no regrets that's evil and it yields a thousand Horrors in this world number five Christian hedonism changes the way we think about self-denial there is a real real doctrine and teaching of self-denial in the Bible right mark 8:34 if anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me so deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me so you should ask ok mr. Christian hedonist that says you're supposed to do everything to maximize your pleasure deal with that and my response is always read the next verse just read the next verse we're dealing with Jesus here you don't you don't you don't pull Jesus words apart take your little favorite phrase or my little favorite phrase and the next verse says for he who would save his life will lose it and he who loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it and you do want to save your life disciples don't you isn't that the argument you want to save your life don't you I'm telling you how to save your life I'm telling you how to be a Christian hedonist lose it lose it for the sake of the poor lose it admissions lose it for standing up for it's right at work lose it of course there is enough sin in us that we got to be killing ourselves all day long right put to death what is evil in you Paul said John Piper is not all the way saved he is being saved and therefore every day their stuff in me that needs to be denied for the sake of joy for the sake of maximizing my satisfaction not only eternally but in a hundred practical ways with my wife my five kids my 12 grandchildren repenting denying myself acknowledging wrong so that relationships can be healed restored preserved as well as getting to heaven so yeah I believe in self-denial but there is no such thing in the Christian life as ultimate self-denial that'd be like looking God in the face in heaven when you get there and say he says welcome into the joy of your masters I don't I don't I don't do joy I'm I'm into self-denial and I know that's what honors you most and I know you're offering me joy but I only deny myself and therefore I can't accept the offer that's blasphemous number six Christian hedonism changes the way we think about handling our money and the act of giving I think you're going to be into some really big wonderful glorious projects vision in the coming weeks here so I didn't plan this nobody asked me to but I'd really like you to be a generous people not only for that but a hundred other reasons but here a couple of verses that change everything from a Christian Eden the standpoint and money acts 20:35 it is more blessed to give than to receive jesus said that that's a quote from jesus in acts one of the only places jesus is quoted outside the one of the few places he's quoted outside the Gospels and Jesus said it is more blessed satisfying fulfilling rejoicing happy more blessed to be a generous person a giving person than a getting person I'm going to use you I'm going to use you to make me happy you won't be happy that way the only way your soul is designed to be happy is to be receiving from the Lord and giving to others you are made to be a conduit and when the water the living water is flowing freely from God into you satisfying your soul flowing out in generosity you sleep well at night you designed that way and you will be laying up treasures for yourselves in heaven so that when you get there your bank account will be really full and your reward will be great that's all his hedonistic language right don't lay up treasures on earth why because they get eaten by moths like a stolen in embezzlements lay up treasures in heaven why because he'd be rich when you get there and your reward will be phenomenal you'll have greater tastebuds for Jesus changes the way you handle your money second Corinthians 9:7 each one must give as he has decided in his heart not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful Giver that's a radical verse like if you're about to give and you don't want to but you do it because the people around you are watching you God's not happy with that I don't care if it's a million dollar jack for this pastors integrity he's not happy with that he doesn't love that well if he doesn't love it what you got to do you got get happy in giving I mean that's what it says God loves not reluctant not under constraint givers he loves cheerful givers so if you don't feel it get it so out of here that's why I'm here I came to Texas for that God will use this moment these moments to change you and make you a lover of him that is so satisfying you will give number seven and I don't I don't just mean to church you know I just mean your your disposition walking down the street is give not I won't be taken in by that rascal beggar on the corner he's a liar he always tells lies that's not your mindset I had that mindset for a long time I walked by these people every day I walked by the driver I walk by I know their name six of them my wife and I stop what's your attitude towards these folks yeah half I'm gonna rip you off they're gonna lie through their teeth about what that money is for what's your heart what's your disposition I'll give you a little test here little warning when you get to heaven you will not hear out of the mouths of King Jesus Wow you were sir shrewd not to be taken advantage of I promise you that will not be one of your rewards and if you were taking advantage of 50 times 50 percent of the time and the other 50 percent it met some need and glorified Jesus and you don't know which is which he does and he doesn't really care whether you got ripped off you got plenty you got plenty that's what I finally decided so I go to the bank I get fifty ones putting out a drawer carry six a day and I give them away and I give enough of them away that I can look into their eyes and say look if I just give you these three two five one dollar bills could I have three minutes of your time they always give me three minutes man that's cool I said tell me your story just tell me your stories all I want to know I want to know your story I want you be honest with me now this is yours keep it with you whether you tell me or not but you take it from there test your heart Christian number seven Christian hedonism changes the way we worship corporately corporate worship you you know this I love I love I love watching your choir if I had one suggestion this nobody asked me to this I'm gonna get in big trouble for doing this there's the are you main man I don't know who the main man is here but anyway halfway through a number like that magnificent choir let us join you that's my that's it on my little piece don't don't criticize these people that was good that was true that was powerful and I wanted halfway up say just see stand up join us hey nothing changes except this place explodes because what you're doing it's so honoring to Jesus okay nobody asked me to do that that's not here and I repent I repent if it's offensive sort of what I was gonna say was worship is being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus which means the task of this preacher here and these lead worshipers over here their task is to spread a banquet in lyrics and in preaching with whatever helps we need musically to connect with the Living God and it just seems to me that's a lot of that was happening here and I'm I'm eager to just breathe on that and be happy about it which is why by the way so many different forms in 10,000 cultures around the world are okay with God I mean if you try to take your way like this way okay all those instruments that big choir and Transplant that to Chad where the missionaries got six converts there's nobody even dreaming that way so you just need to be aware that's okay too six people singing with no instruments or whatever drums they use there that's just fine because that's not the heart of worship the heart of worship is are these six people satisfied in the god they just met in the gospel it's it's the heart this people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me is Jesus indictment of worship from the Pharisees you don't want to go there okay we got three minutes and three more I think we can do this no we can't I might leave one out number eight Christian 51 is that right 10:55 we should be done okay Christian hinges on changes the way you think about disability and weakness Paul was a thorn pierced man right he had this thorn it is thorn in his flesh he didn't want to have it he prayed to take it away God would not take it away here's what Jesus said my grace is sufficient for you my power is made perfect in weakness do you remember what Paul said next takes your breath away he said therefore this thorn I don't know what it was it was painful though this thorn he said therefore I will boast all the more gladly I just can't believe that word I can't believe he said that yes I do believe it's in the Bible you don't want to be that way when I'm broken and weak therefore I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me this is what made him live right I want Christ to be magnified in living and dying and my thorn my wheelchair I want him to be magnified in my life therefore I will receive it gladly this year marks the 50th anniversary of Johnny Erickson Todd is paraplegic accident do you know why Johnny has magnified Jesus how she has magnified Jesus for 50 years answer she sings she sings for her life she's told me like I would die in despair if I couldn't sing to my Jesus in my paralysis number 9 Christian hedonism changes the way we look at love I think I've said enough about giving to make sense out of that to love is to be so satisfied in God that you extend it to other people and include them in it if you think the Christian need is me shrinking it in my little cocoon of satisfaction you're gonna you go to hell as far as I care I'm happy in here if you think that's what I'm saying then you don't understand the human heart you don't understand the Bible and you don't understand me because the way it worked in Macedonia was that the grace of God came down joy overflowed and in extreme poverty and much affliction they overflowed in generosity and I look at that and say are you kidding me in affliction and poverty joy is overflowing so my definition of love is love is joy in God that overflows to meet the needs of others closing last one Christian hedonism changes ministry this is for all of you not just clergy Paul said second Corinthians 1:20 for not that we lord it over your faith but we are workers with you for your joy David I know you know this by the safety in front of these people your job is to not lord it over their faith but work with them for their joy that seared your jobs over here as well to work with them for their joy that is an amazing sentence and circling back let's let's circle back and in this way we circle back to Philippians chapter 1 Paul realizes he's not gonna die he realized it's not yet and he's gonna remain on the earth and he says if I am to remain verse 25 if I'm to remain with you all it will be for your progress and joy of faith if I die he gets glory and I get satisfaction if I live he gets glory and you get satisfaction so I came to Texas linear and this great church I came here for that I don't want to lord it over your face that's God's business to deal with faith with you but I do want to work with you for your joy in Jesus because God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in him especially in those moments of suffering and death let's pray

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Keywords: Desiring God, John Piper, God, Jesus Christ, Christianity, Christian Hedonism, Joy, Sermons by John Piper

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Length: 57min 44sec (3464 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 27 2017