This week's message: "Not in This or That Mount But in Spirit and Truth"

When things get uncomfortable, we love changing the subject. But as the Samaritan woman in John 4:20-26 finds out, a shift in the conversation doesn't distract Jesus from pursuing a new God-worshiper.

In their brief exchange, Jesus roots worship in a person—God the Father—not a place—some Middle Eastern mountain.

As the Son of God, Jesus offers himself as the difference between true religion and false religions.

Jesus tells her and us that only those who trust him as Savior and Messiah have the Spirit (John 3:6) and know the truth that makes true worship possible (John 4:23-24).

Now that the video of the Q&A at Advance 09 is available, I can look at it and feel bad all over again. Here’s what I regret, indeed what I have apologized for to the person who asked the question.

The first question to me and Mark Driscoll was, “Piper says get rid of my TV, and Driscoll says buy extra DVRs. How do you reconcile this difference?”

I responded, “Get your sources right. . . . I never said that in my life.”

Almost as soon as it was out of my mouth, I felt: “What a jerk, Piper!”...

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This week's sermon: "The Father Is Seeking True Worship—Now"

Title changed to: "The Tragic Cost of Her Cavernous Thirst"

Her inner life was too painful and too dirty, so the woman at the well kept her heart locked and couldn't recognize her thirst for living water, even with the answer for her thirst standing right there in front of her.

So Jesus, ever loving and ever wise, reached for the nerve. "Go, call your husband." And he wasn't fooled by her use of truth to distort the truth. "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband."

From this encounter at Jacob's well, we learn not just about the woman, but about ourselves. We learn how we desperately move from one substitute to the next to try to satisfy our cavernous thirst for real water. But we also learn about Jesus—that he is hot on the trail of sinners, ready to savingly expose the ugliness of their sin, and willing to die to save them.

Most of us realize that enjoying anything other than God, from the best gift to the basest pleasure, can become idolatry. Paul says in Colossians 3:5, “Covetousness is idolatry.”

“Covetousness” means desiring something other than God in the wrong way. But what does that mean—“in the wrong way”?

The reason this matters is both vertical and horizontal. Idolatry will destroy our relationship with God. And it will destroy our relationships with people...

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You can now listen to John Piper's message from Monday at Resolved: "Spectacular Sins, Part 2."

For more on spectacular sins, you can buy the book or download it for free.

It was T. H. L. Parker who introduced John Piper to John Calvin. In Piper's foreword to Desiring God’s new reprint of Parker’s Portrait of Calvin, he writes,

Desiring God is publishing T. H. L. Parker’s Portrait of Calvin out of theologically and historically informed nostalgia—and a sense of mission. The mission is to make much of the majesty of God. And the nostalgia is that this book was my first serious exposure to Calvin. I paid fifty cents for the book in a used rack. That was four decades ago.

Parker’s Portrait was first published in 1954. But it’s not the kind of book that goes out of date, because it’s only trying to be current with the sixteenth century. If you get it right, it stays right. When I saw the 500th anniversary of Calvin’s birth coming (July 10, 2009), I thought that maybe others would enjoy the same introduction to Calvin I enjoyed.

Watch some more thoughts from John Piper on this book:

This biography is now available exclusively through Desiring God.You can buy it or download it for free.

With Calvin’s 500th birthday just weeks away, reading Parker’s Portrait would be a fine way to mark the historic date.

Also, through the life and ministry of John Calvin, Desiring God will turn its sights to God and his Son at our national conference this September.

Registration is now open and if you register by the end of June, you'll get the early-bird rate.

You can now watch the messages from Advance09 online.

John Piper's Sessions

• Let the Nations Be Glad, Part 1
• Let the Nations Be Glad, Part 2
• Q & A with Piper, Driscoll, Greear, and Stetzer

Other Sessions

The rest of the conference video is available at The Resurgence and Vintage 21.

Listen to the message John Piper gave a few days ago to Bethlehem's graduating students.

We've just released 3 new DVD products—John Piper teaching on Calvinism, gender roles, and what we believe about the Bible.

Each of these DVD sets is divided into half-hour sessions to make them easy to use for teaching times in group settings.

TULIP: The Pursuit of God’s Glory in Salvation

John Piper teaches the 5 points of Calvinism in 16 lessons.

• DVD set
• DVD set with study guides

What's the Difference? Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible

In these 10 lessons John Piper teaches on the freedom that can come when we see our roles as men and women the way God does.

• DVD set
• DVD set with study guides
• DVD set with study guides and books

Why We Believe the Bible

In 10 lessons, John Piper explores the claim that the Bible is infallible.

• DVD set
• DVD set with study guides

This week’s sermon: “You Will Never Be Thirsty Again”

Jesus and the woman at the well—great fodder for a sermon on evangelism, right? “Watch Jesus navigate the conversation, and go do likewise.”

Not so fast. The problem with this approach is that it misses the fact that it’s not Jesus in this story who represents our plight but the adulteress. We sinners are the Samaritan woman.

The woman-at-the-well account reveals woeful truth about ourselves and wonderful truth about Jesus. And the wonderful truth that it reveals about Jesus gives hope to us in our woeful condition.

We see in this story that Jesus is . . .

• graciously purposeful,
• graciously relational, and
• graciously superior.

Not arrogant superiority, but gracious superiority. His superiority is our salvation.

You can now listen to John Piper's message from yesterday at Resolved: "Spectacular Sins, Part 1."

If you'd like more on this topic, this message and the one that he'll give tonight are based on the book Spectacular Sins. You can buy it or read it online for free (PDF).

I have unanswered questions about how to navigate the new world of media-driven celebrity attention to pastors. As Advance09 started in Durham, North Carolina, the News & Observer ran the headline “Celebrity Pastors Visit for Conference.” One might wish they had printed: “Imperfect, Passionate Pastors Come to Serve.” But that’s not news.

When I say media-driven attention, I am not mainly thinking about radio, TV, and newspapers. They are almost irrelevant. I mean Internet media. Most churches have websites. Sermons and articles and books are available...

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Want to ponder how to endure? Listen to John Piper's "Sustained by Sovereign Grace."

What is God’s sovereign grace?

Not grace to bar what is not bliss
Nor flight from all distress but this:
The grace that orders our trouble and pain
And then, in the darkness, is there to sustain.

This message was preached by John Piper on Sunday at Treasuring Christ Church in Raleigh, NC and is based on a sermon delivered at Bethlehem Baptist in 1996.

Here are Saturday's messages from Advance09:

• Danny Akin: "Marks of a Healthy Community of Faith"
• John Piper: "Let the Nations Be Glad, Part 2"

Listen to Friday afternoon's sessions:

• Mark Driscoll - "Ministry Idolatry"
• John Piper - "Let the Nations Be Glad, Part 1"

Listen to the 3 messages from today so far:

• Ed Stetzer - "Keys to Understanding the Church and Kingdom"
• J. D. Greear - "Planting Is for Wimps: Revitalizing a Church Around the Gospel"
• Eric Mason - "The Ultimate Shepherd"

For Father's Day, we're offering a special on some of our biographies that we hope will inspire dads.

For $40, you can get John Piper's four books of biography:

• The Legacy of Sovereign Joy (Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin)
• The Hidden Smile of God (John Bunyan, William Cowper, David Brainerd)
• The Roots of Endurance (John Newton, Charles Simeon, William Wilberforce)
• Contending For Our All (Athanasius, John Owen, and J. Gresham Machen)

With this special, you'll also receive an MP3 CD of 18 biographical messages.

When you give your dad Christian biography, you'll be giving him, as John Piper puts it,

Living theology. Flawed and encouraging saints. Stories of grace. Deep inspiration. The best entertainment.

Today's final two messages from Advance09 are now available.

• Matt Chandler - "Preaching the Gospel to the De-churched"
• Q & A with Chandler, Driscoll, and Chappell

You can now listen to the first three messages from Advance09.

• Mark Driscoll - "What Is the Church?"
• Tyler Jones - "The Resurgence of the Church"
• Bryan Chapell - "Communicating the Gospel Through Preaching"

Some new additions to our website are welcomed with centerstage attention. Others creep onto the scene from behind the curtain. Here are three recent "creepers" you might've missed:

• Four more years of Piper's church newsletter articles (Taste & Sees): 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1991
• The transcript of "Let Your Passion Be Single"
• Audio and video from the new seminar, "The Pleasures of God"

This week's message: "The Father Has Given All Things into Jesus' Hands "

Is John the Baptist still speaking in John 3:31-36, or is it now John the Gospel writer?

Whichever John it is, it's clear what he's doing: lifting up the unique and extraordinary person and work of Jesus as the Gospel of John does again and again. The reader who keeps pleading, "Show me your glory!" should not be disappointed.

In John 3:31-36, Jesus is lifted up as 1) coming from God, 2) being full of God, and 3) speaking and ruling as God. Jesus is perfectly united with his Father—so united that the pathway to eternity divides with Jesus. Those who embrace Jesus have eternal life. Those who reject him remain under the wrath
of God.

The following is a guest post by Gail Schoonmaker, illustrator of The Big Picture Story Bible and Noel Piper's Do You Want a Friend?

The creation of the artwork for Do You Want a Friend? began when I received Noel's manuscript along with her notes for specific pages and for the artwork in general.

I was delighted to read her desire to see families of various ethnicities, as this reflects not only God's kingdom, but the environment in which my husband and I have chosen to live and raise our own children. In fact, our kids are the only ones in their classes with white skin, and they see nothing unusual in these illustrations!

I was equally pleased to see Noel's desire to include drawings of people with various disabilities. My own son Andy is severely autistic, and my beloved nephew has Down Syndrome. God has used the the joys and challenges of parenting Andy to, among many things, enlarge my heart for his covenant children who society would marginalize. It has been a privilege to be part of a picture book that celebrates the reflection of God's image in so many ways.

That said, the biggest delight is the focus of the book: Jesus as our best friend in every way and ultimately as our Saviour.

I spent some time jotting down ideas for illustrations, creating a cast of recurring characters, and sketching possibilities. Ideas were easy and comfortable, as I was fortunate enough to experience God's grace in a home where my parents constantly acknowledged, thanked, praised, consulted, and asked forgiveness of the Lord. His friendship has been demonstrated to me in every way, so I didn't have to wonder what Noel's words might mean.

When I had a rough sketch completed for every page (such as the one above), Noel took a look and provided feedback. When these ideas were incorporated and the resulting drawings were approved, I began to paint. I work on four watercolor paintings at a time, which allows each newly painted section to dry before I return to it.

The entire process took several enjoyable months.

(This article was first posted at Noel Piper's blog.)

Bulgarian

• Don't Waste Your Life
  Не пропилявайте живота си
• God So Loved the World, Part 1
  Бог толкова възлюби света, част 1
• God So Loved the World, Part 2
  Бог толкова възлюби света, част 2

Portuguese

• The Happiness of God: Foundation for Christian Hedonism
  A Felicidade de Deus: Fundamento Para o Hedonismo Cristão

Russian

• Signs and Wonders, Heresy, and Love for God
  Знамения и чудеса, ересь и любовь к Богу
• "All Truth Is God's Truth," Admits the Devil
  «Вся истина - Божья», - дьявол согласен

Spanish

• I Have Seen the Lord
  He Visto al Señor
• Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, Part 1
  Vestíos del Señor Jesucristo, Parte 1
• Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, Part 2
  Vestíos del Señor Jesucristo, Parte 2
• Why Christ Became a Servant of the Jews
  Por qué se Hizo Cristo Siervo a los Judíos
• The Child to Be Born Will Be Called Holy—the Son of God
  El Santo Niño que Nacerá Será Llamado Hijo de Dios
• Word of Promise, Spirit of God, Hope of Man
  La Palabra de la Promesa, El Espíritu de Dios, La Esperanza del Hombre
• Do Not Avenge Yourselves, But Give Place to Wrath
  No os Venguéis Vosotros Mismos, Sino Dejad Lugar a la Ira de Dios
• What Is the Will of God and How Do We Know It?
  ¿Cuál Es la Voluntad de Dios y Cómo la Hacemos?
• Assessing Ourselves With Our God-Assigned Measure of Faith, Part 2
  Evaluándonos A Nosotros Mismos Con La Medida De Fe Que Dios Nos Asignó, Parte 2
• The Free Will of the Wind
  El Libre Albedrío del Viento
• Arcing Quick Reference Guide added to the end of the Biblical Exegesis booklet (PDF)