john piper- a collection of sermons (new) very useful!!

7/29/2019 John Piper- A collection of sermons (new) very useful!!

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A HOLY AMBITION:

TO PreAcH WHere cHrIsT HAs NOT BeeN NAMed

A cOLLecTION Of serMONs BY

JOHN PIPer

cOMPILed BY

desIrINg gOd


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OHER BOOKS BY JOHN PIPER

Let the Nations Be Glad!

God Is the Gospel

Dont Waste Your Lie

Gods Passion or His Glory

Te Pleasures o God

Desiring God

Te Dangerous Duty o Delight

Future Grace

A Hunger or God

A Godward Lie

Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ

Te Legacy o Sovereign Joy

Te Hidden Smile o God

Te Roots o Endurance

Te Misery o Job and the Mercy o God

Te Innkeeper

Te Prodigals Sister

Te Gadarene

Bloodlines

Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

Whats the Dierence?

Te Justifcation o God

Counted Righteous in Christ

Brothers, We Are Not Proessionals

Te Supremacy o God in Preaching

Beyond the Bounds

Pierced by the Word

Te Supremacy o Christ In A Postmodern World

Lie as a Vapor

A God-Entranced Vision o All Tings

When I Dont Desire God

Sex and the Supremacy o Christ

aste and See

Tink

Contending For Our All

Fity Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die

Finally Alive

Te Future o Justifcation

Jesus: Te Only Way to God

John Calvin & His Passion or the Majesty o God

Te Pastor as Scholar & the Scholar As Pastor

Ruth: Under the Wings o God

Spectacular Sins

A Sweet & Bitter Providence

Tis Momentary Marriage

What Jesus Demands rom the World

When the Darkness Will Not Lit

Tinking. Loving. Doing.

Fin many ee aui, vie, an witten esuces by Jhn Pipe (incluing tanslatins!)

at www.esiingG.g.


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A Holy Ambition: o Preach Where Christ Has Not Been Named

2011 Desiing G Funatin

Publishe by Desiing G

Pst Oce Bx 2901

Minneaplis, MN 55402www.esiingG.g

All ights eseve. N pat this publicatin may be epuce, ste in a

etieval system tansmitte in any m by any means, electnic, mechanical,

phtcpy, ecing thewise, withut pi pemissin the publishe,

except as pvie by USA cpyight laws.

ISBN: 978-0-9827689-9-0

Cve esign: Stuat Hanbeg

Cve pht: NASA Visible Eath

Fist pinting 2011

Pinte in the Unite States Ameica

Unless thewise inicate, Sciptue qutatins ae m the ESV Bible (Te

Hly Bible, English Stana Vesin ), cpyight 2001 by Cssway. Use by

pemissin. All ights eseve.

Sciptue eeences make RSV ae m the Revise Stana Vesin the

Bible, cpyight 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973, Divisin Chistian Eucatin,

Natinal Cuncil the Chuches Chist in the USA.


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cONTeNTs

PrefAce

Bill Walsh

INTrOdUcTION

A Hly Ambitin: Peach Whee Chist Has Nt Been

NameJohn Piper

Missins: Te Wship Jesus an the Jy All Peples

David Mathis

PArT ONe: A BIBLIcAL THeOLOgY Of gOsPeL-ceNTered MIssION

Te Sty His Gly

Tse Wh Have Faith Ae the Sns Abaham

I Yu Ae Chists, Yu Ae Heis the Pmise

PArT TWO: THe MANdATe Of WOrLd MIssIONs

Othe Sheep Tat Ae Nt Tis Fl

Te Unathmable Riches Chist, All Peples,

abve All Pwes, Tugh the Chuch

Te Ama Chist Amng the Natins

Gspel t the Natins, Genesity t the P

PArT THree: THe cOsTs ANd BLessINgs Of MIssION

Ding Missins When Dying Is Gain

I Am Sening Yu Out as Sheep in the Mist Wlves

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

9

15

23

37

60

73

95

105

85

117

131

55


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cONcLUsION

Declaing His Gly Amng the Natins

APPeNdIces

Pspeity Peaching: Deceitul an Dealy

Diving Cnvictins Behin Css-Cultual Missins:

Futeen Funatinal enets Fsteing a Missins

Mvement

12

1

2

143

155

159


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PrefAce

9

PrefAce

BILL WALsH

As I tavel thughut the Unite States an aba, I am amaze athw ten I un int peple ing css-cultual ministy wh tell methat Jhn Pipes bkLet the Nations Be Glad!was a key inuence in thei

calling. I have cnvese with such peple n u cntinents nw. S it

seems that many have been challenge an launche int missins by thepphetic call that G has place n Past Jhns ministy.

In my wn case, I i nt cme m a backgun that place much

emphasis n missins. be hnest, it was haly n my aa. Ate jin-

ing Bethlehem Baptist Chuch in 1999, hweve, it wasnt lng bee I was

expse t this gan theme Sciptue. I istinctly emembe whee I was

sitting in the wntwn sanctuay when it st began t lan n me. In

the mile Jhns semn Let All the Peples Paise Him,1 I sense theL mving me twas becming an engage sene. Immeiately ate

the sevice, I leane ve t my wie an shae a plan actin that was n

my heat. Little i I ealize that this mment wul be the see that many

yeas late wul gw int a shit in my vcatinal calling, giving ise t

what I am engage in tay.

G ains the means by which his will is mae knwn. He is the

G bth meansan ends. He sens bth messengeran messaget call hispeple in missin. He calls the witnessan pvies the words o good news.

He ains theprophetan theprophecy. Bth ae vital, althugh they nt

always appea tgethe. Te apstle Paul pesnally visite the cities Asia

Min t teach an make isciples. He als sent ivinely inspie lettes,

which ha mative impact n the ealy chuch an still instuct us tay,

thusans yeas late.

As the achetype, G sent us a Pesn anda Bk (which testies tthat Pesn) in e t gathe t himsel a peple the ame his name.

ay he sens ges t evey pat the wl andhe eplys technlgy

1http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/let-all-the-peoples-praise-him


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PrefAce

10

all kins t each even the haest places. He calls us t engage in the

glbal cause bth as el wkes andas cntent ispatches.

Hw beautiul upn the muntains ae the eet him

wh bings g news, wh publishes peace, wh bings

g news happiness, wh publishes salvatin, wh says

t Zin, Yu G eigns.2

In the last centuy the emgaphic cente glbal Chistianity has

shite suth in a big way. Huge numbes peple ae being ae t thechuch aily in Aica, Asia, an Suth Ameica.3 But the supply bibli-

cally taine shephes t lea these chuches is in n way keeping pace. In

Eupe, n the the han, the chuch is in ecline, stuggling just t stay

in existence in sme places. In many these wl egins thee is a the-

lgical eath, a amine sun esuces, making the chuch susceptible

t alse teachings all kins.

Tis temenus nee is ha thse us in the West t imagine.We have unening access t g teaching in many mats: pinte bks,

e-bks, magazines, websites, ai channels, MP3s, an nline steam-

ing vie. Ou pblem is nt ne amine but malnuishment. Te

Nth Ameican chuch is ten weak m ignantly chsing spiitual

junk , while huge stes lie-giving sustenance ae at u ngetips.

Histically G has use the witten w as a vital means builing

his chuch, whethe its the pinte Sciptues in the language the peple,the witings the ealy chuch athes, the pamphlets the Rema-

tin. As Richa Cle ntes,

Te Rematin itsel seems t be almst unthinkable

withut taking int cnsieatin the pinte pages

Luthes semns, essays, aesses, an biblical tansla-

tins. Inee, the Rematin went han in han with

2Isaiah 52:7; cf. Romans 10:15.3Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (revised and updated

edition; New York: Oxford University Press, 2007); Mark A. Noll, The New Shape of World

Christianity: How American Experience Reects Global Faith (Downers Grove: IVP Academic,

2009).


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PrefAce

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bk an pess. Tee is in all the centuies peceing the

sixteenth centuy nthing cmpaable t the pint meia

explsin the 1520s, an upsuge activity that cin-cie exactly with the Rematin in Gemany.4

By Gs esign, ing missins with cntent, in all its men mats,

cntinues t be ne the mst eective means avancing the gspel.

It is key t equipping the next geneatin leaes. Accing t Ralph

Winte, this is ne the mst stategic ways t ministe:

Tee ae tw things in the entie histy missins that

have been abslutely cental. One, bviusly, is the Bible

itsel. Te the is the pinte page. Tee is abslutely

nthing else, in tems missin methlgy, that ut-

anks the imptance the pinte page. Meetings cme

an g an pesnalities appea an ae gne. But, the

pinte page cntinues t speak.5

Since 1994, the missin Desiing G has been t ceate an istibute

esuces that spea a passin the supemacy G in all things

the jy all peples thugh Jesus Chist.6 In the spiit all peples, we

ae wking t get esuces int glbally accessible mats an languages

in suppt the cause missins. We hpe t emve baies that hine

the ee w sli biblical teaching, especially t wl egins that neeit mst.

F this anthlgy, we have selecte an aange key semns an

aticles m me than 30 yeas Jhn Pipes peaching n missins.

It is u hpe that this mateial will pve a helpul supplement t Let the

Nations Be Glad!, witten almst 20 yeas ag. Te mat the semns was

me less kept intact with nly minimal eits. We thught it might pve

a useul mel peaches t see hw Past Jhn ges abut peaching

4Reformation Printers: Unsung Heroes, Richard G. Cole, Published by: The Sixteenth Century Journal,

Vol. 15, No. 3 (Autumn, 1984), pp. 327-339, Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25407675Ralph Winter, quote for Bible Pathway Ministries.

http://www.biblepathway.g/English/FiensOBP.html6http://www.desiringGod.org


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PrefAce

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missins an the way Missins Fcus week is hanle at Bethlehem Baptist

Chuch. Anthe easn is that Let the Nations Be Glad!aleay pvies

a sustaine vice in the m an acaemic mngaph. We wante thisanthlgy t be, in pat, n thepreaching missins.

Ou paye hee at Desiing G is that G wul be please t use

this new anthlgy t stengthen his glbal chuch. An that the isbuse-

ment gspel-centee esuces in vaius mats an thugh vaius

meia might mbilize senes, ges, an esuces s that the g news

that Ou G eigns will gathe an stengthen Gs peple in evey

cne the wl.

Bill Walsh

Director o International Outreach

Desiring God


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INTrOdUcTION


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A HOLY AMBITION

15

cHAPTer ONe

A HOLY AMBITION:

TO PreAcH WHere cHrIsT HAs NOT BeeN NAMed

rOMANs 15:1824

JOHN PIPer

AUgUsT 27, 2006

F I will nt ventue t speak anything except whatChist has accmplishe thugh me t bing the Gen-

tiles t beienceby w an ee, by the pwe

signs an wnes, by the pwe the Spiit Gs

that m Jeusalem an all the way aun t Illyicum I

have ullle the ministy the gspel Chist; an thus

I make it my ambitin t peach the gspel, nt whee

Chist has aleay been name, lest I buil n smeneelses unatin, but as it is witten,Tse wh have

neve been tl him will see, an thse wh have neve

hea will unestan. Tis is the easn why I have s

ten been hinee m cming t yu. But nw, since

I n lnge have any m wk in these egins, an

since I have lnge many yeas t cme t yu, I hpe

t see yu in passing as I g t Spain, an t be helpe nmy juney thee by yu, nce I have enjye yu cm-

pany a while.

Rmans 15:1824

hee ae thee things in this text that I think we shul cus n. All

them have iect implicatins yu lie (even i yu ae cuentlynt awae them), an all them elate iectly t G an his pupses

in the twenty-st centuy. I see, st, a hly ambitin; secn, an immea-

suable nee; thi, a glbal stategy. S lets take these ne at a time an see

hw they elate t each the an t us an u wl tay.


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A HOLY AMBITION

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1. A HOLY AMBITION

Vese 20: An thus I make it my ambitin t peach the gspel, nt whee

Chist has aleay been name, lest I buil n smene elses unatin.Paul was cntlle by a hly ambitin. I say he was controlledbecause

he says in vese 22, Tis is the easn why I have s ten been hinee

m cming t yu. An he says at the en vese 23, I have lnge

many yeas t cme t yu.

When yu lng t smething yeas an yeas, but yu nt

it, smething smene must be cntlling yu t the cntay. An

what was cntlling Paul an keeping him m ging t Rme is that hewas nt nishe with his ambitin in the egins m Jeusalem t Illyi-

cum. But nally, he says in vese 23, I n lnge have any m wk

in these egins. An then in vese 24: I hpe t see yu in passing as I

g t Spain.

In the ws, he was cntlle by an ambitin t peach the gspel

t thse wh ha nt hea the name Jesus m Jeusalem t Illyicum

(men-ay Albania), an he wul nt tun m this ambitin until itwas ullle. But nw the wk is ne in thse egins, an his ambitin

is taking him t Spain. Tat ees him nally t what he has wante t

yeasnamely, visit the chuch in Rme an enjy thei cmpany

a little while.

It is a g thing t be cntlle by a hly ambitin. Ae yu cn-

tlle by a hly ambitin? I am calling it hly because its aim is hlyt

see peple m all the natins wh have neve hea Jesus believe in himan becme beient t him an be save by him m thei sin an m

Gs wath. I am als calling this ambitin hly because it cmes m

the hly G an his hly w, as we will see in a ew mments. It is ight

an it is g t be cntlle by a hly ambitin.

D yu have a hly ambitin? Nt eveyne shul have Pauls ambi-

tin. One plants, anthe wates (1 Cinthians 3:6-8). Each has his wn

git (1 Cinthians 7:7). Each stans alls his thei wn maste (Rmans14:4). But I think G wul be please i each his chilen ha a hly

ambitin.


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A HOLY AMBITION

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HOLY AMBITION fOr gIrLs ANd BOYs

Little chilen, listen t me caeully a mment. I knw the ws, hly

ambitin, ae unusual an yu nt use them evey ay. Hly ambitinmeans smething yu reallywant t that G wants yu t . Sme-

thing yu want t s much that ing it keeps yu m ing the

things that yu als eally like t . Paul eally wante t g t Rme

yeas. But he int g because he wante smething else me. He wante

t peach the gspel in Asia an Geece whee peple int knw abut

Jesus. He eally, eally, eally wante t this. We call that kin esie

an ambitin. An we call it hly ambitin when it is smething Gwants yu t .

D yu have ne? Pbably nt yet. Yue still a chil. Tats what

yue suppse t be. But sme ay yu wnt be a chil any me. An

ne the ieences between being a chil an gwing up is that gw-

ing up as a Chistian means yu get a hly ambitin. Mst little gils, my

alitha inclue, eally want t have an play with lls. Tats a g

thing. But the ay is ging t cme, little gils, when yu will put away theun playing with lls an gw up int the even bigge, bette jy ca-

ing eal babies in the nusey. An maybe yu will even lea a ministy

smeay caing hungy babies a away, lnely babies wh have n

mmmy ay. An sme yu this will becme a hly ambitin.

F thes yu hly ambitin will be smething else.

An bys, listen. I yu ae like I was, what yu eally want is a ball, a

tuck, an gun an smeby t play with. Ive neve ha a eal gun (excepta pellet ie). But I sht a lt ba guys with my Matt Dilln pistl an

my Lukas McCain-like, cicle-hanle ie. I lve playing tball with

my iens an igging as acss the steet my tucks an awing

my pistl s ast yu culnt see it. It was un. An that was g.

But sme ay yu wnt be a little by any me. An ne the i-

eences between being a little by an gwing up is that gwing up as a

Chistian means yu get a hly ambitin. An that means the un gunsan tucks an balls gets small an the jy ghting justice an salva-

tin gets big. Gwing up means getting a hly ambitin t wiel the sw

the Spiit mightily an ive a tuckla lve t the neey an kick

Satans ea en in the name Jesus.


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A HOLY AMBITION

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Mm an Da, single peple, yung an l, Chistians shul have a

hly ambitin. Smething yu eally, eally want t the gly G.

It is smething that cntls yu. It helps yu ecie nt t g t Rmeyet. It gives etenal cus, ganizatin an passin t yu lie.

THe sOUrce Of HOLY AMBITION

Whee es it cme m? A cucial pat the answe is given in the link

between veses 20 an 21. Tus I make it my ambitin t peach the gs-

pel, nt whee Chist has aleay been name, lest I buil n smene elses

unatin, but as it is witten, [then Paul qutes Isaiah 52:15] Tse whhave neve been tl him will see, an thse wh have neve hea will

unestan.

Nw hee is the amazing an elevant thing abut this us. We knw

m Acts 9 an 22 an 26 that Paul was calle by the isen Chist n the

Damascus a. Jesus gave Paul his missin in Acts 26:18, I am sening

yu [t the Gentiles, the natins] t pen thei eyes, s that they may tun

m akness t light an m the pwe Satan t G, that they mayeceive giveness sins an a place amng thse wh ae sanctie by

aith in me. S he gt a calling staight m the isen, living, all-sveeign

Jesus Chist t be a light t the Gentiles.

But thats nt what he says in Rmans 15:21. He esnt say, I have

this ambitin t be a light t the natins wh nt knw Chist because

Jesus calle me n the Damascus a. He says, I have this ambitin

I am cntlle by a passin t peach whee Chist has nt been namebecause Isaiah 52:15 says, Tse wh have neve been tl him will see,

an thse wh have neve hea will unestan.

What yu make that? Hees what I make it. When Jesus calle

Paul n the Damascus a t take the gspel t the Gentiles wh ha neve

hea, Paul went t his Bible (what we tay call the Ol estament) an

lke a cnmatin an explanatin this calling t see hw it t

int Gs veall plan. An he un it. An u sake he speaks thisway. He esnt just ee t his expeience n the Damascus a, which

we will neve have. He ees t Gs witten w that we do have. An

he ts his ambitin thee.

S my answe t the questin, Where does your holy ambition come rom?


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A HOLY AMBITION

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is this: It cmes m a pesnal encunte with the living Chist (nt neces-

saily as amatic as the Damascus a), shape an inme an empw-

ee by the witten w G. As yu meitate n the law the Lay an night (c. Psalm 1:2)as yu immese yusel in Gs whe

cmes an takes sme tuth that w an buns it int yu heat until

it becmes a hly ambitin. I that hasnt happene yet, satuate yusel

with the w G an ask him it.

2. AN IMMeAsUrABLe Need

G esnt lea us int ambitins that ae pintlessthat yu will egetat the en yu lie. Tee is always a nee t be metnt a nee in

G, but in the wlby a hly ambitin. Hly ambitins ae nt abut

sel-exaltatin. Tey ae always a m lve. Tey always meet smenes

nee(s).

Nw what is the immeasuable nee Paul ees t in this text? Vese

20: Tus I make it my ambitin t peach the gspel, nt whee Chist

has aleay been name. Tat means that Paul has set his ace like int tpeach the gspel t peple wh have neve hea Chist. Tey nt even

knw his name.

THe NATIONs HAve NO excUse

Nw hees the questin: I these peple nt even knw Jesus name,

then ae they espnsible t believe n him salvatin? An i nt, then

wulnt it be sae them just t leave them in thei ignance an be-lieve that G will have mecy n them an they will be save because they

havent hea Jesus? Why, Paul, yu sue s much t peach the

gspel t peple wh have neve hea the name Jesus?

Paul gave the answe in Rmans 1:1823. Rea it with me slwly an

sbely an eel the weight it the way Paul must have. Tese ws ae

witten abut all thse peples an natins that have neve hea the name

Jesus an that Pauls hly ambitin is iving t each.

Te wath G is eveale m heaven against all un-

gliness an unighteusness men, wh by thei un-

ighteusness suppess the tuth. F what can be knwn


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A HOLY AMBITION

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abut G is plain t them, because G has shwn it

t them. F his invisible attibutes, namely, his etenal

pwe an ivine natue, have been clealy peceive, evesince the ceatin the wl, in the things that have

been mae. S they ae withut excuse. [Tse ae the a-

tal ws that ene the immeasuable nee Paul sees; the

natins that have neve hea Jesus will have n excuse

at the jugment ay.] F althugh they knew G, they

i nt hn him as G give thanks t him, but they

became utile in thei thinking, an thei lish heatswee akene. Claiming t be wise, they became ls,

an exchange the gly the immtal G images

esembling mtal man an bis an animals an eptiles.

Paul says in Rmans 2:12, All wh have sinne withut the law will

als peish withut the law, an all wh have sinne une the law will

be juge by the law. Eveyby will be juge accing t that whichthey have access. An eveyby will peish wh es nt hea the gspel,

because eveyby suppesses the tuth that they have an lives in ebellin

against G. Tee is nly ne hpe: heaing an believing the gspel

Jesus Chist.

Te nee the natins wh nt knw the name Jesus is an im-

measuable nee. It is an innite nee. Te geatest nee that can be imag-

ine is the nee the natins t hea the gspel Jesus Chist an believe.Because the gspel Jesus is the pwe G salvatin t eveyne

wh believes, t the Jew st an als t the Geek (Rm. 1:16). An n

ne is save withut it.

Nt evey ne yu is calle t g like Paul. But yu cant be a lving

pesn an nt want yu lie t cunt cntibute t the meeting this

geat nee.

3. A gLOBAL sTrATegY

But sme yu G is calling t jin Paul pesnally an vcatinally in

this paticula glbal stategy. Hees the stategy. An it is amazing. I yu

ae newe t Bethlehem, listen caeully hw we unestan missins.


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A HOLY AMBITION

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Hee ae Pauls amazing statements.

Fist, vese 19b: Fm Jeusalem an all the way aun t Illyicum

I have ullle the ministy the gspel Chist. Tats m Jeusalemup thugh Syia, acss Asia Min (ukey), wn thugh Geece n the

east sie an up the west t nthen Italy whee Albania is tay. Paul says

he has ullle the gspel thee. An he unelines that astnishing state-

ment in vese 23 by saying, I n lnge have any m wk in these

egins. An then in vese 24 he says, I g t Spain.

What in the wl i he mean that he ha n m wk m Je-

usalem t Illyicum? It is nt a isk t say that thee wee tens thusans peple yet t be evangelize in thse egins. We knw this because Paul

wites t imthy at Ephesus (in this vey egin) an cmmans him t

the wk an evangelist (2 imthy 4:5). In the ws, thee ae

peple that nee t be evangelize. An Paul says his wk is ne in this

egin.

We take that t mean: Paul is nt a lcal evangelist; hes a ntie mis-

sinay, a pinee missinay. Tat is, his calling an his ambitin is nt t evangelism whee the chuch has been plante. Te chuch shul

that. Pauls calling an his ambitin is t peach the gspel whee thee is

n evangelizing chuch. Tee ae n Chistians. Tey nt even knw the

name.

MIssIONs, evANgeLIsM, ANd HOLY AMBITION

Te teminlgy is nt whats cucial. Whats cucial is the istinctin.Tee ae ntie pinee missinaies, an thee ae evangelists. Mis-

sinaies css cultues an lean languages. Anrontiermissinaies pu

ut thei lives by w an ee, by the pwe signs an wnes, by the

pwe the Spiit G (Rm. 15:18-19) t beak thugh thusans

yeas akness an the eign Satan ve a peple wh nt knw

the King kings an the Savi the wl.

Tis was Pauls ambitin. An since the geat cmmissin t makeisciples all natins is still vali an thee ae peples tay wh

nt knw the gspel, theee evey chuch shul pay that G aise up

many ntie missinaies, an make all us evangelists.

I can imagineinee I paythat ten yeas m nw smene


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A HOLY AMBITION

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pehaps ten yuwill wite a lette hme m an uneache peple an

say, I am hee t speak the gspel t thse wh have neve hea, as it

is witten in Rmans 15:20, I make it my ambitin t peach the gspel,nt whee Chist has aleay been name, lest I buil n smene elses

unatin. G bune that w nt my heat an tune it int a hly

ambitin at Bethlehem Baptist Chuch, August, 2006.

L, please, that. Amen.


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A HOLY AMBITION

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cHAPTer TWO

MIssIONs: THe WOrsHIP Of JesUs ANd THe JOY Of ALL

PeOPLes7

dAvId MATHIs

M issins is abut the wship Jesus. Te gal missins is theglbal wship Jesus by his eeeme peple m evey tibe,tngue, an natin. Te utcme missins is all peples elighting tpaise Jesus. An the mtivatin missins is the enjyment that his

peple have in him. Missins aims at, bings abut, an is uele by the

wship Jesus.

Anthe way t say it is that missins is abut Jesus glbal gly. Fm

beginning t enin taget, eect, an impetusmissins centes n the

wlwie ame Jesus in the paises his ivese peples m evey

tibe, tngue, an natin. Whats at stake in missins is the univesal hn the Fathe in the glbal gly his Sn in the jy all the peples.

WHAT Is MIssIONs?

Rte in the Latin mitto (meaning t sen), missions is the hal-mil-

lennium-l tem signiying the sending Jesus llwes int his glbal

havest all peples. F nealy 300 yeas, the tem missionshas been use

in paticula wl evangelizatin, pineeing the gspel amng thepeples t whm it has yet t avance.

w passages in the Gspel Matthew get t the heat missins.

Jesus says t his isciples in Matthew 9:3738, Te havest is plentiul, but

the labes ae ew; theee pay eanestly t the L the havest t

send outlabes int his havest. Missins means sending outwkes int

the glbal havest.

A secn passage is Jesus sening ut his isciples in Matthew28:1820, the epic-making summns calle the Geat Cmmissin. Hee

7This chapter written by John Pipers executive assistant David Mathis appeared originally in

Dont Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day, edited by Kevin DeYoung (Wheaton, IL:

Crossway, 2011).


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MIssIONs: THe WOrsHIP Of JesUs ANd THe JOY Of ALL PeOPLes

Jesus main cmman isciple all natins llws the chage t gt

be sent out. Sening ut an ging ae tw sies the same cin. Jesus an

his establishe chuch sen ut, an thse wh g ae the sent nes, missinaies. S missionsis the chuchs sening ut missinaies (the

sent nes) t pinee the chuch amng peples wh thewise have n

access t the gspel.

JesUs cOMMIssION

Pehaps the best way wa in this chapte is t walk thugh this Geat

Cmmissin that gets at the heat the missinay entepise.

An Jesus came an sai t [his isciples], All authity

in heaven an n eath has been given t me. G theee

an make isciples all natins, baptizing them in the

name the Fathe an the Sn an the Hly Spiit,

teaching them t bseve all that I have cmmane yu.

An behl, I am with yu always, t the en the age.

JesUs HAs ALL AUTHOrITY (verse 18)

Fist, Jesus says that all authity in heaven an n eath has been given t

him. Fm all etenity, the ivine Sn ha all authity as G, but nw,

by vitue his taking n u humanity an accmplishing u eemp-

tin, the Sn cmes int all authity as human, as the G-man. He

has ullle the estiny humanity (Ps. 8:38; Heb. 2:510) an ules theglbe with the vey sveeignty G, ensuing the success his glbal

missin.

He will nt be thwate in caying ut his pmise, I will buil my

chuch (Matt. 16:18). Te G-man mst cetainly will make g n his

plege that his gspel will be pclaime thughut the whle wl as

a testimny t all natins, an then the en will cme (Matt. 24:14). He

guaantees the ulllment Habakkuk 2:14, that the eath will be llewith the knwlege the gly the Lord as the wates cve the sea.

MegALOMANIAOr LOve?

Is it megalmania Jesus t use all authity t make himsel the mst


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A HOLY AMBITION

25

amus pesn in the univese? I knwing Jesus wee anything less than

the geatest enjyments, then his pusuit wul be unlving. But he is

the mst valuable Reality in the univese. Knwing him is the supassingwth that makes it gain t cunt all else lss (Phil. 3:8). Teee, it is

punly lving Jesus t exalt himsel. He cannt lve the natins

withut putting himsel n isplay because it is nly him that tuly satises

the human sul. Tis makes Gs heat G the eepest unatin

missins.

S the beck the Geat Cmmissin is mst ultimately nt Gs

heat the natinsamazing as that isbut Gs heat G. AnGs pusuit his gly makes the cause missins unstppable. As

suely as he will nt give his gly t anthe (Isa. 48:11), s the Cmmis-

sin will nt ail. His hn is at stake. When we pusue the gly G

in the wship Jesus in the glbal cause missins, we get n ba

with a missin that will nt abt. Jesus will buil his chuch. Te task

missins will nish.

dIscIPLe ALL NATIONs (verse 19)

In view his unmatche authity, Jesus aws ut an implicatin his

llwesne the mst imptant thereores in the histy the wl.

G thereorean make isciples all natins

Te tw cmmans g an isciple all natins in English wk

tgethe as ne chage in Matthews iginal Geek. A liteal tanslatin

wul be having gne, isciple all natins. Te main emphasis alls niscipling, but the ging is the necessay path. In e t engage in this

wlwie task iscipling all natins, thee must be a ging. Jesus es

nt pmise that all natins will cme t Jeusalem an s his isciples can

cntinue t invest whee they ae. Tey will nee t g. Oceans an bes

must be csse. Like Paul an Banabas in Antich, they will nee t be

sent ut (Acts 13:3). Tee must be missinaies.

But even in u cuent glbal cntext, whee uneache peples aeclusteing in cities whee chuches aleay ae establishe, anthe kin

ging must happen: leaning a language an new cultue an being

sent ut m inay, eveyay lie amng peple just like us. Even

whee gegaphy isnt an issue, cultue an language ae. Te Cmmissin


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necessitates gings all sts.

dIscIPLe Is A verB

S i Jesus chage t isciple all natins is the heat the Cmmissin,

what es he mean by this iscipling? He es nt mean the mee pusuit

cnvesin. Tat wnt wk with what llws: baptizing them in the

name the Fathe an the Sn the Hly Spiit, teaching them t

bseve all that I have cmmane yu. eaching the natins t bseve

all that I have cmmane yu is nt the mee pusuit cnvesin. An

i iscipling all natins esnt mean simply classm inmatin-tanse,but teaching t bseve, what must it entail?

At least it must entail spiitual matuity. An s this is hw many well-

meaning Chistians tay use the tem discipleshipas a tem pusu-

ing spiitual matuity. Being a isciple, they say, means being a seius,

athe than casual, llwe Jesus. Discipleship pgams ae esigne

thse intentinally seeking Chistian gwth, s it ges. Maybe. But

smething seems t be lacking hee.

JesUs exAMPLe

Within the cntext Matthews Gspel, is thee nt me t say? Des

isciple all natins nt call t min hw Jesus himsel isciple his

men? Tey wee, ate all, his isciples. An when they hea him say,

isciple all natins, wul they nt think this iscipleship is what he i

with theminvesting plnge, eal-lie, ay-in, ay-ut, intentinaltime with yunge believes in e t bing them t matuity as well as

mel them hw t disciplethes in the same way?

Tis suns like what Paul is getting at in 2 imthy 2:2, when he in-

stucts his isciple imthy, What yu have hea m me in the pesence

many witnesses entust t aithul men wh will be able t teach thes

als. imothy, my disciple, disciple others to disciple others. Fu spiitual

geneatins get explicit mentin hee: Paul, imthy, aithul men, anthes alswith the implicatin that uthe geneatins ae t llw.

Discipleship, seen in this light, entails nt meely the pusuit spiitu-

al matuity but the nee pesnal cnnectin an substantial intentinal

investment time, the kin investment which thee must begoingt


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A HOLY AMBITION

27

accmplish. Jesus spent thee yeas with his twelve isciples. He calle them

t be isciple at the utset his ministy (Matt. 4:19), an he gave them

the lins shae his lie until his epatue in Matthew 28. He investehis lie in these men. It is amazing t tack in the Gspels hw much Jesus

gave himsel t his isciples. Te cws pusue him, but he pusue

his isciples. He was willing t bless the masses, but he investe in the ew.

ALL NATIONs

But i isciple ees nt meely t cnvesin but spiitual matuity, an

even the pesnal investment the isciples lie, what abut all natins?Hee Jesus has stuck a nte that is pat a biblical symphny spanning the

Sciptues m Genesis t Revelatin.

Fm ceatin, G has been cncene with all the natins. Te

genealgies Genesis tace the igin all natins t Aam thugh Nah

an his sns (Gen. 10).8 An with his blessing all natins in min, G

calle a mn-wshipe name Abam t G m yu cuntyt the

lan that I will shw yu.An I will make yu a geat natinan in

yu all the amilies the eath shall be blesse (Gen. 12:13). Nte the

w all.

Fm Abam (ename Abaham, the athe a multitue na-

tins, in Gen. 17:45) wul cme Gs chsen natin, Isael. Tis na-

tins special elatinship with G was t bing abut blessing t the est

the wls natins wh wee sepaate m thei ceat ging back t

thei athe Aam.F the sake the natins, G wke in an thugh this ne na-

tin tw thusan yeas. He multiplie he numbe, elivee he m

slavey, le he thugh the wilness, eeate he enemies, establishe he

in his Pmise Lan, an bught he t he highest pint peace an

pspeity une the kingship Davi an his sn Slmn. With the

temple cmplete une Slmn, it lke as i Gs blessing nw was

pise t cme t the natins thugh Isaels uishing an the natinssubmissin t he.

8Acts 17:26 conrms that God made from one man every nation of mankind.


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cOMe-ANd-see

In 1 Kings 4, Isael has becme as many as the san by the sea (vese 20).

Slmn is uling ve all the kingms m the Euphates t the lan the Philistines an t the be Egypt (vese 21) an sai t have

minin ve all the egin west the Euphates (vese 24). Is this the

ulllment Gs pmises t Abam in Genesis 12:3 an 15:5 t make his

escenants as numeus as the stas an t bless the natins thugh his

sping? Has G bught all his pupses t pass in Isaels pspeity

s that nw climactically all the peples the eath may knw that the

LORD is G (1 Kings 8:60)?But the sin pblem that began with Aam still emaine, with Is-

ael hesel sueing m the same sinul cnitin as all the natins. Just

as the natins neee the blessing giveness, a new heat, emval

ivine wath, an estatin t G himsel, s als i Isael. An

1 Kings 112 Kings 25 catalgues hw sin estye Isael in less than

hal a millennium as she ell m the height Slmns eign t the utte

epths in the estuctin Jeusalem an in exile une the Babylnians.But the pphets, even amist thei stng enunciatins, pmise

stunning hpe beyn the exile the emnant wh wul etun t G.

An it wulnt be the mee estatin t Isaels me ays, as the

pphet Isaiah annunce, It is t light a thing that yu shul be my

sevant t aise up the tibes Jacb an bing back the peseve Isael;

I will make yu as a light the natins that my salvatin may each t the

en the eath (Isa. 49:6).G ha me in min the blessing the natins than, Cme

an see Isael an eat m he scaps. In the Geat Cmmissin, we n

Jesus mnumental evelatin t his llwesan thugh them t the

wl the missin wl blessing that G has ha in ste m

the beginning: Gs peple knwing an enjying him in Jesus an ging

an telling all the natins abut him.

As Jesus pepaes t g t the css, he is the ne wh pmises, Tisgspel the kingm will be pclaime thughut the whle wl as

a testimny t all the natins. An Jesus is the ne wh chages his is-

ciples t isciple all natins an pmise them, Yu will eceive pwe

when the Hly Spiit has cme upn yu, an yu will be my witnesses in


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A HOLY AMBITION

29

Jeusalem an in all Juea an Samaia, an t the ens the eath (Acts

1:8).

gO-ANd-dIscIPLe

Jesus has ushee in a new seasn wl histy in which G is n ln-

ge cusing his pepaaty eemptive actin n Isael in a cme-an-see

ashin (when in past geneatins he allwe all the natins t walk in

thei wn ways, Acts 14:16). But nw with the ull accmplishment the

gspel his Sn, G has wiene his scpe, s t speak, t all the natins

an inauguate the Spiit-empwee age g-an-tell bette yet,g-an-isciple.

An s the apstle Paul says that the essence his ministy is t bing

abut the beience aith the sake [Jesus] name amngall the

nations (Rm. 1:5) an that the gspel is nw being mae knwn t all

nations (Rm. 16:26). Gs glbal pupse, being execise thugh the

authity the isen an eigning G-man, is t make wshipes his

Sn amngall the nationsevey tibe an tngue an peple.When Jesus gants the apstle Jhn a glimpse the en, Jhn heas a

new sng, Wthy ae yu t take the scll an t pen its seals, yu

wee slain, an by yu bl yu ansme peple Grom every tribe

and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). w chaptes late, Jhn

sees a geat multitue that n ne cul numbe,rom every nation, rom

all tribes and peoples and languages, staning [in wship] bee the thne

an bee the Lamb (Rev. 7:910).

THe POsT-cHrIsTIAN WesT ANd THe gLOBAL sOUTH

In pusuit all natins, Paul bught the gspel t Philippi in Acts 16, an

the next seventeen-plus centuies, Chistianity tk t in paticula

in the West (Eupe an eventually Nth Ameica). Te sixteenth-centuy

Rematin eepene the ts in many espects, but the hic seven-

teenth-centuy eligius was e the eighteenth-centuy Enlightenmentan with it menism an seculaism.

ay the West, nce the stnghl glbal Chistianity, is becm-

ing inceasingly (an quickly) pst-Chistian. Tee ae pckets signi-

cant blessing an geat hpe avance in the ays ahea, but by an lage,


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the chuch that nce st at the cente Westen sciety is ning hesel

at the peiphey (which, in Gs ecnmy, may be a vey g thing

the Westen chuch).But the slw ecline Chistianity in the West has nt meant glbal

ecline the gspel. Jesus will buil his chuch. Te last 50 yeas have

puce a stunning an histic glbal evelpment as Chistianity has

blssme in Aica, Latin Ameica, an Asiain what many ae calling

the Glbal Suth. Te gues can be misleaing, since they can ept

nlyproessingChistians, but even allwing signicant inatin, the

geneal ten is astnishing:

Eupe was hme t ve 70% the wls pessing Chistians

in 1900, but by 2000, it was less than 30%. In the meantime, Latin

Ameica an Aica ha becme hme t ve 40%.

Aica ha ten millin pessing Chistians in 1900abut 10%

the ppulatin. But by 2000, the numbe was 360 millinabut

hal the Aican ppulatin. Tis may mak the lagest shit in eli-gius aliatin in wl histy.9

Te numbe pacticing Chistians in China is appaching the

numbe in the Unite States.10

Last Sunayme Chistian believes attene chuch in China

than in all s-calle Chistian Eupe.11

In a w, the Chistian chuch has expeience a lage gegaphi-

cal eistibutin in the last ty yeas than in any cmpaable peiin its histy, with the exceptin the vey ealiest yeas chuch

histy.12

gOINg WITH THe gLOBAL sOUTH

Tis amazing ten aises the questin sme as t whethe the West is

nishe sening missinaies. Will it nt nw be let t the Glbal Suth

t nish the Cmmissin? Te clea answe is n. Fist, nt iscunt the

9Philip Jenkins, Believing in the Global South inFirst Things, December, 2006, No. 168, p. 13.10Mark Noll, The New Shape of World Christianity, p. 10.11Ibid.12Ibid.


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A HOLY AMBITION

31

pwe gspel-avancing patneships between the West an the Glbal

Suth. But secn, these patneships shul nt mean meely sening

Westen mney, but Westen peple. Ging is necessay iscipling.Accing t www.JshuaPject.net (which tacks the glbal pgess

the gspel amng the wls uneache peples), thee ae an estimate

6,550 uneache peple gups in the wl ut a ttal abut 16,300

ethn-linguistic peples. Te Jshua Pject lists 1,540 these uneache

peples as unengaged, meaning that thee is n cuent missinay wk

amng them. With s much wk yet t be ne, it will take the gspel-

patneship the whle glbal chuchWesten, Hispanic, Asian, Ai-can, Easten Eupean, Russian, Mile Easten, an met take the

message abut Jesus t the wls nal missinay ntie, the peples

mst hstile t the gspel.

But nt nly es this new glbal situatin ceate pmise new ways

patneing bth in sening peple an esuces, it als gives ise t new

pssibilities an pblems in the West.

THe PrOMIse ANd POTeNTIAL dANger Of MIssIONAL

In the last ecae, a new tem elate t missionshas cme int use amng

evangelicals ing mestic ministy: missional. Te mst insightul thse

using the tem ecgnize that the West is quickly becming pst-Chistian,

an that this shit aises imptant questins abut what it means t -

mestic ministy. Eupe an Nth Ameica have becme me an me

like a missin elbut a pst-Chistian, athe than pe-Chistian, ne.Since the tem evangelism caies many the baggage Chistenm ays

when the geneal biblical wlview was pevalent enugh in sciety that

steet-cne cnntatins an staium cusaes un me tactin an

puce me genuine cnvets, the emegence the tem missional(in

place evangelistic) signies that the times ae changing in sme signicant

egee, calling new missins-like engagement. Tis new thinking is a

g evelpment, but with it cmes a ptential ange.Te ptential ange is that with the iscussins abut being missin-

al an evey Chistian being a missinay, the pusuit all the peples

by piitizing the uneache may be bscue. We nee t peseve a place

the biblical categy eaching the uneache. Te biblical theme is


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32


nt meely that G eaches as manypeopleas pssible, but all the peoples.

He intens t ceate wshipes his Sn m evey natin. Te push

being missionalcaptues smething vey imptant in the heat G,but the ange is when it cmes at the cst smething else essential in

the heat G: pusuingall the nations, nt meely thse wh shae u

language an cultue.

THe PrIOrITY Of THe UNreAcHed

We nee both-and. Ou chuches shul bth pusue mission amng u

wn peple as well as missionsamng the wls uneache peples. Oneway t sum it up is t say that we cant be tulymissionalwithut peseving

a place , an giving piity t, the pusuit the uneache. It esnt

matte hw much a chuch may say that she is beingmissional; she is nt

ullymissionalin the biblical sense i she is nt pusuing bth missin at

hme (taitinally calle evangelism) amng he native eache peple as

well as being an engage senein suppt missinaiest the uneache.

As the West gws inceasingly pst-Chistian, it is easy t see the bvi-us nee the gspel pening up aun us t the neglect the nties.

Missins is a summns t the nties. An me an me thse nties

aent the mantic savages living in the ws that make the missins

sties the pevius geneatin, like Bruchko, Peace Child, an Trough

Gates o Splendor. ays nties ae hme t the glbes mst hstile

peple t the gspel. Dnt think jungles an linclthes. Tink at, ht,

an cwe in the wls uban mega-centes. G is binging the un-eache peples ut the ws an int the cities the cmpletin

the Cmmissin.

THere WILL Be sUfferINg ANd MArTYrdOM

Which means thee will be sueing. Many the 6,650 uneache peples

(an the 1,540 unengage peples) ae uneache (an unengage) a

easn. Tey ae punly hstile t the gspel. But the sueing anmatym t cmean they will cme13will nt be a setback u

sveeign Savi.

13It is generally accepted that there were more Christian martyrs in the twentieth century than the

nineteen previous centuries combined.


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A HOLY AMBITION

33

Sueing is nt nly the cnsequence cmpleting the Cmmissin,

but it is Gs appinte means by which he will shw the supei wth

his Sn t all the peples. Just as it was tting that heshul makethe une [u] salvatin peect thugh sueing (Heb. 2:10), s it

is tting that G save a peple m all the peples m etenal sueing

thugh the eemptive sueing Jesus isplaye in the tempal sue-

ings his missinaies.

Tis is why Paul cul ejice in his sueingsbecause he knew that

in them he was lling up what is lacking in Chists afictins (Cl. 1:24).

What is lacking in Jesus sueings is nt thei eemptive value but theipesnal pesentatin t the peples he ie t save. An in the sueings

an matyms missins, the sent nes ll up what is lacking by shw-

ing Jesus supei value an pinting t his sueings in thei wn.

S, yes, the call t the Geat Cmmissin is a call matys, but it is

nt a call kamikazes clnial insensitivity. It is a call shew mis-

sinaies captue Jesus wlwie ame an satise s eeply in him

that they can say with Paul, ie is gain (Phil. 1:21).

JesUs WILL Be WITH Us (verse 20)

Te pwe lie-eienting giving missins an lie-isking ging in

missins, sueing an matym, is the enjyment the ne

whm we peach. Missins is nt nly pwee by Jesus univesal auth-

ity, une n his nishe wk, an mele in his ministy, but mis-

sins is sustaine by the pmise his pesence an the pleasue we havein him. He says behl t make sue he has u attentin because this is

eally pecius. Behold, I am with yu always, t the en the age.

He will be with yu. At the be the clse cunty, in the lean-

ing an auus language, an in the isientatin a new cultue,

he will be with yu. In speaking the gspel when yu heaes may tun

n yu, in pesecutin, an in jail, he will be with yu. An when yue

pesse t enunce the aith ie, he will be with yu. He lves t be withhis peple t give them the gace t say with Matin Luthe, m the heat,

Let goods and kindred go,

Tis mortal lie also.


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34


Te body they may kill;

Gods truth abideth still.

His kingdom is orever.

Missins is abut the wship Jesus an the jy all peples. An

as suely as Jesus is L the univese, the Geat Cmmissin will be

cmplete. He will buil his chuch. He will be wshipe amng evey

peple. An in him will his eeeme peple, m all the peples, eve

ejice with jy that is inexpessible an lle with gly (1 Pete 1:8).

Jesus be the gly. Amen.


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PArT ONe:

A BIBLIcAL THeOLOgY OfgOsPeL-ceNTered MIssION


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A HOLY AMBITION

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cHAPTer THree

THe sTOrY Of HIs gLOrY

JOHN PIPer

Human beings, by natue, nt aw the same cnclusins that Ges m many acts, an we nt eel the same way G esabut the cnclusins that he aws m the acts. What I mean by human

natue is a min, an attitue, a bent that thinks baly abut many things.It is un in phases like, by natue we ae chilen wath (Eph. 2:3).

By natue, thee is smething wng with us. We nt just ba

things; we have a ba natue. We might be able t say that tw plus tw is

u, but then we teible things with that ability. Anthe text wul

be 1 Cinthians 2:14, Te natual man es nt eceive the things the

Spiit because they ae lishness t him.

I G says smething stange, we nt like it. We by natue egalts things that ae tue as lish. S thees smething wng with us

when G aws cnclusins m things that lk stange t us, we get in

his ace an we isagee with him an call him int questin.

Te le I get, the me I see eviences this in me an in the

Chistians in the way we ea u Bibles an in the way we espn t pv-

iences. An example this that is mving me int this issue missins is:

in e us t have a heat the natinsa heat the uneache,clse an istant, iniviuals an ethnic gupsin e us t have a

heat the natins that is stng enugh, eep enugh, uable enugh,

G-centee enugh, an Chist-exalting enugh t be the kin heat

it shul be, we nee t base this heat the natins n the same thing n

which G bases his heat the natins.

OUr THOUgHTs THe sAMe As gOds THOUgHTs

Nw s a I nt think u thughts wul be ieent than Gs

thughts. Yu knw the text, Yu thughts ae nt my thughts, yu

ways ae nt my ways(Isa. 55:8). Tats because the min the esh is at

enmity with G, an we think all kins things that G esnt think.


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It esnt mean that he cant an we cant think the same thught as unbe-

lieves, like the eath is un instea squae. It means thee ae many

acts m which G aws cnclusins but m which we nt aw

the same cnclusins. An he eels abut them ways we nt eel. But, s

a in that little analgy, wee kay. Wee thinking Gs thughts. S a

wee saying in e us t have the kin heat the natins that is

uable enugh an stng enugh an eep enugh an Chist-exalting

enugh an G-centee enugh, in e t be what it ught t be, we

nee t base that heat the natins n the same thing G es. S a,

wee thinking like G, i wee thee.

gOds PAssION fOr HIs OWN NAMe ANd gLOrY

But when we see what G bases his heat the natins n thee ae a lt

backs that get up, because what G bases his heat the natins n is

his passion or his own name and his own glory. I g all ve the cunty an

the wl saying this, an I watch the eactins, I el the questins, an

I have iscvee abut thity yeas nw that this thught, that Gwul be jealus his name an n the basis that be given t pusue

the natins an thei salvatin an thei jugment in the measue that he

ecies, is alien t many believes, nt t mentin unbelieves.

Since that is s alien t us, what I want t is t buil my case that

G bases his heat the natins n his heat himsel. An in ing

that I want t lay ut texts, because what I think is n cnsequence what-

seve i it esnt cespn t biblical tuth. Te nly thing yu shulcae abut is Does what Piper says correspond to what the Bible teaches? Tats

all that mattes. My authity as a past isnt what cunts, my being le

than mst yu isnt what cunts, my having a cetain level eucatin is

nt what cunts. What cunts is, Does this man get under the Bible instead o

over the Bible? Does he submit and then talk plainly about what he fnds here,

in such a way that ordinary olks can say, Yes, that must be what it says and

what it means, because there it is.

gOds HeArT fOr gOd

Gs heat the natins is built n Gs heat G. Gs zeal t

each the natins with the gly his Sn an save sinnes is built n his


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A HOLY AMBITION

39

zeal that his name be exalte in an thugh the wshipping Chist.

Tats the agument. An the way t ague it, I think, is t simply lk

at an aay texts that shw that G es eveything the sake mag-niying his gly.

gOds ULTIMATe gOAL

Hees my thesis: Gods ultimate goal in creation and redemption is to uphold

and display his glory or the enjoyment o his redeemed people rom every tribe

and tongue and people and nation. Tis is the main thing. Tis is Gs ulti-

mate gal, an it happens t be the enjyment his eeeme peple.An thse peple, in Gs esign, happen t be evey peple an tibe

an tngue an natin. Oh, hw I wul lve t make the case that this

ivesity, this cultual an ethnic an acial ivesity hee, is essential t this!

G i nt make us as ieent as we ae cultually, ethnically, an acially

nthing. Its nt an accient. Its nt a punishment ate the twe

Babel. Tis is because a ivese sng sung t the Reeeme is me gliy-

ing t the Reeeme than a simple sng in unisn. I we all sang ne nte,m ne cultue, m ne ethnicity, m ne ace, it wul have a lu

an glius sun, but h, it wul nt lk sun like the sng that

will be sung t the Reeeme m such ivesity as he is winning it m.

But thats anthe time

Gs main, ultimate gal is t uphl an isplay his gly. Tat is the

seemingly ensive thing t many peple. It just suns s sel-centee,

sel-exalting, an eels ba t peple. Te key t why Gs sel-exaltatin,that is, the pusuit the magniying his wn gly, is nt vicius but

vituus, nt unlving but lving, is this w enjoyment. He is ing it

the enjyment his peple. I G i nt peseve an exalt his gly,

yu wul nt be given the vey thing that yu wee esigne t be mst

satise by, namely G, an Gs gly. He is the ne being in the uni-

vese whm sel-exaltatin is the highest vitue an the geatest act

lve. When yu stan in nt G, i yue thinking Gs thughtsan nt the wls thughts, what yu want is G t say, Hey, stand

in ront o me and watch HIS!An then him t be G, in his ullness

gace an justice, s that yu can spen etenity enjying that an ging

eepe int that.


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gOd Is A crOWN Of gLOrY

Cnsie Isaiah 28:5: In that ay the LORD hsts will be a cwn

gly, an a iaem beauty, his emnant. What will it mean that hewill be a cwn gly? Whse hea will it be n? Hes the cwn. He is

nt the hea. Its ging t be n yu hea. ake a eep beath. He will be a

cwn gly an a iaem beauty. In the ws, he will satisy evey

lnging gly an beauty. Eveything g that yu eve lnge will

be satise in him.

Teee, it is lving him t lit himsel up an say, Here I am,

world! Admire!I yu i that, yu wul be unlving, because yu ae ntall-satisying. He is. Yu shul simply g all ve the wl, pinting t

him. Say: World, look!Lk at Chist especially, because thee, when Chist

ie, the gly the gace G was magnie, which is the apex all

his gly, which is why Chist is the cente eveything.

TO THe PrAIse ANd THe gLOrY Of HIs grAce

Te texts we ae ging t lk at wee nt chsen thelgical easns. Iam a lve this ctine, peestinatin. I chse it because it is chn-

lgically st in the univese, n, st in eality, beorethe univese. Lk

at Ephesians 1.

Blesse be the G an Fathe u L Jesus Chist,

wh has blesse us in Chist with evey spiitual blessing

in the heavenly places, even as he chse us in him beethe unatin the wl, that we shul be hly an

blameless bee him. In lve he peestine us ap-

tin as sns thugh Jesus Chist, accing t the pupse

his will, t the paise his glius gace, with which

he has blesse us in the Belve. (Eph. 1:3-6)

Ill paaphase that: G, bee the unatin the wl, set his heatn being paise, because its the ultimate thing. Chsing, peestining,

apting ae all means. Jesus was a means, at this pint. An the gal is,

the pupse is, that we praise the glory o his grace, which was supemely

manieste in Jesus, which was planne bee the unatin the wl.


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A HOLY AMBITION

41

S thees my st agument: From the beginning, in God, beore we

existed, Gods design was to get praise or his glorious grace.

IMAges Are creATed TO IMAge

Te next item in my chnlgy is ceatin. Tis is Genesis 1:26-27:

Ten G sai, Let us make man in u image, ate u

likeness. An let them have minin ve the sh the

sea an ve the bis the heavens an ve the livestck

an ve all the eath an ve evey ceeping thing thatceeps n the eath. S G ceate man in his wn im-

age, in the image G he ceate him; male an emale

he ceate them.

What es it mean t be ceate in the image G? Bks by the

hunes have been witten n the imago dei, as its calle. Its a huge issue.

Is it easn, is it emtin, is it that we have mal accuntability? Hw aewe like G? Im ging t avi the whle cntvesy an say smething

much simple: Images ae ceate t image. Right? Why yu eve set

up an image anything? image it! Yu put up a statue Stalin, yu

want peple t lk at Stalin an think abut Stalin. Yu put up a statue

Gege Washingtn, lk at it an think abut the uning athes. Im-

ages ae mae t image. S i G mae us, unlike all the the animals, in

his image, whateve it means in etail, this it means clealy: Gs the ealityan wee the image. Images ae ceate t set th the eality.

Why i G ceate man? shw G! He ceate little images s

that they wul talk an act an eel in a way that eveals the way G is.

S peple wul lk at the way yu behave, lk at the way yu think, the

way yu eel, an say, G must be geat, G must be eal. Tatis why

yu exist. G int ceate yu as an en in yusel. Hes the en, yue

the means. An the easn thats such g news is because the best wayt shw that G is innitely valuable is t be supemely happy in him. I

Gs peple ae be with G, they ae eally ba images. G is nt

unhappy abut himsel. He is innitely excite abut his wn gly.

Tats why the Sn eceive the ws: You are my beloved son. With


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you I amwell pleased. ake thse ws, Well please. G esnt say

hes kay with Jesus. Hes nt just kay with Jesus! He is abslutely thille

with Jesus as the image himsel. S i we g abut the wl making uchices in what we watch n televisin, n the cmpute, hanle mney,

use , s that it cmmunicates t the wl that these things ae u

teasue, athe than G, that these things make us satise athe than

G, hes getting the ba pess, an wee nt ing what we wee ceate

t . We wee ceate t image G. S, G peestine his gly an

he ceate the isplay his gly.

gOd AcTs fOr THe sAke Of HIs NAMe

Staying in chnlgical e, wee mving t the Exus next. Tis is

Ezekiel 20:5-9:

Tus says the L GOD: On the ay when I chse Isael,

I swe t the sping the huse Jacb, making my-

sel knwn t them in the lan Egypt; I swe t them,saying, I am the LORD yu G. On that ay I swe

t them that I wul bing them ut the lan Egypt

int a lan that I ha seache ut them, a lan wing

with milk an hney, the mst glius all lans. An

I sai t them, Cast away the etestable things yu eyes

east n, evey ne yu, an nt ele yuselves

with the ils Egypt; I am the LORD yu G. Butthey ebelle against me an wee nt willing t listen t

me. Nne them cast away the etestable things thei eyes

easte n, n i they sake the ils Egypt.Ten I

sai I wul pu ut my wath upn them an spen my

ange against them in the mist the lan Egypt. But

I acte the sake my name, that it shul nt be p-

ane in the sight the natins amng whm they live,in whse sight I mae mysel knwn t them in binging

them ut the lan Egypt.

Nw ight hee we begin t see smething thats ging t climax in the


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A HOLY AMBITION

43

css Chist, namely, that the gun the eliveance a ebellius

peple is Gs jealusy his name. I G, at this pint, ha nt been

supemely jealus his name, wath wul have allen upn the peple Isael:

Ten I sai I wul pu ut my wath upn them an

spen my ange against them in the mist the lan

Egypt. (v. 8b)

Tats what they eseve. But smething checke that just ispsitin inG, namely,

But I acte the sake my name, that it shul nt be

pane in the sight the natins amng whm they

live, in whse sight I mae mysel knwn t them in

binging them ut the lan Egypt. (v. 9)

sALvATION evIdeNce Of gOds WrATH

Get that pinciple. Tee ae s many Chistians tay wh see the salva-

tin G as an evience thei wth instea Gs wth. Tat

esnt wk hee. It just esnt wk. When they walke thugh the sea

n y lan, what shul they say? We must be really good!N! Tey e-

seve wath, an they gt eliveance, because G is eally geat, an

meant t be knwn as geat.Hee is the way Psalm 106:6-8 puts it:

Bth we an u athes have sinne; we have cmmitte

iniquity; we have ne wickeness. Ou athes, when they

wee in Egypt, i nt cnsie yu wnus wks;

they i nt emembe the abunance yu steaast

lve, but ebelle by the sea, at the Re Sea. Yet he savethem his names sake, that he might make knwn his

mighty pwe.

Oh, hw thankul I am wship leaes wh get this, wh ae cnstantly


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saying, Were going to glory in our Redeemer!Were not going to glory in the act

that saving me must mean I am glorious. Were not going to talk like that. Tat

esnt satisy the sul. Tats the canal min using the css t buttess itseg. Tee ae many peple that that, but the css cucies the eg an

puts all wth n Jesus an the Fathe.

WHY TeN PLAgUes?

Nw t the bk Exus itsel. G says:

An I will haen Phaahs heat, an he will pusue them,an I will get gly ve Phaah an all his hst, an the

Egyptians shall knw that I am the LORD. (Ex. 14:4)

Tat is eally stng language. I nt knw i yuve eve aske why G

use ten plagues t elive Isael m Egypt instea ne. I yu thught

like the wl yu might think, Well, he i his best nine an then

he eally pulle the tump ca at ten an it wke. Tats nt the case,because we ea at the beginning the sty that he was ging t multiply

his signs in Egypt. He int stat with ne an hpe it wke, an then

went t tw an hpe it wke, an went t thee an hpe it wke, an

nally, the tenth plague wks an he says, Whew! I nt knw hw lng

this might have laste. Tats ttally eign t the cntext. Gplanned

t multiply his signs in Egypt. Why? Because he meant t get gly ve

Phaah, wh was s against G. He meant t magniy himsel. Te Ex-us, which is a pinte t u exus m sin, was base upn Gs zeal

his name. Tis is a huge event in eemptive histy, is it nt?

HeALTHY JeALOUsY

A ew mnths ate the exus came the giving the law:

Yu shall have n the gs bee me. Yu shall nt make yusel a cave image, any likeness anything

that is in heaven abve, that is in the eath beneath,

that is in the wate une the eath. Yu shall nt bw

wn t them seve them, I the LORD yu G


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A HOLY AMBITION

45

am a jealus G, visiting the iniquity the athes n

the chilen t the thi an the uth geneatin thse

wh hate me (Ex. 20:35)

Have n gs bee me because Im jealus. What es jealus mean

hee? Tee is sme jealusy that is ba, an thee is sme jealusy that is

g. I just i sme pemaital cunseling ecently, an I lke at sme

pesnality things that I saw, an I queie them abut hw he wul eel

i she hung ut with he wmen iens ate they wee maie, an he

with his men iens, an the things. I pbe because I was scatching unhealthy jealusy: Yue mine! Yu be hme evey night! Yu give

eveything t me! Nw, that wul be unhealthy jealusy.

Tee is, hweve, a vey healthy jealusy. I Nl ecies shes inte-

este in anthe man, i she stats hanging ut lng hus at Stabucks with

him, having eep cnvesatins abut he heat, an gets athe an athe

m my heat, I shul be eally angy. An G is eally angy when we

hang ut in inapppiate ways with the wl. Why? Because wee e-signe t bestw all the gly n him, t get u eepest an mst pun

satisactin m him. He is intening t say in the law, Im number one,

period! And youll be destroyed i you dont agree. Nw that kin talk eally

tuns peple . But yu nee t say it like that just t wake sme peple

up t hw canal an sel-centee they ae. Tats the law.

Te Isaelites wanee in the wileness a lng time. Why? Why i

he spae them? Tese wee eally, eally ebellius lks, like us.

But the huse Isael ebelle against me in the wile-

ness. Tey i nt walk in my statutes but ejecte my

ules, by which, i a pesn es them, he shall live; an

my Sabbaths they geatly pane. Ten I sai I wul

pu ut my wath upn them in the wileness, t make

a ull en them. But I acte the sake my name,that it shul nt be pane in the sight the natins,

in whse sight I ha bught them ut. (Ezek. 20:1314)


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Weve seen that bee. It happens ve an ve again in the histy

Isael.

gOsPeL BefOre THe gOsPeL

We will skip the cnquest Canaan an mve t the Isaelites asking a

king. I lve this passage because it is s ull gspel bee the gspel. We

saw the gspel in the exus, that the salvatin a ebellius peple was

te nt in thei wth, but in Gs wth. An hee wee ging t see

it again. Te peple have aske t have a king like the natins, an Samuels

nt happy abut that, an Gs angy abut that. S what happens?

An all the peple sai t Samuel, Pay yu sevants

t the LORD yu G, that we may nt ie, we have

ae t all u sins this evil, t ask uselves a king.

An Samuel sai t the peple, D nt be aai; yu

have ne all this evil. (1 Sam. 12:19-20a)

I nt emembe hw many yeas ag it was, but thee was a pint whee I

ea this an I thught, thatis a vey stange cnnectin. Te cnnectin

between ea nt an yu have ne all this evil is eally wei. It shul

be, Fea! Yu have ne all this evil! Fea! But it says, Fea nt, yu have

ne all this evil. Tats gspel. Tats what I mean by gspel. Tis is une-

seve gace, uneseve mecy. Why? Whats the basis it?

D nt be aai; yu have ne all this evil. Yet nt

tun asie m llwing the LORD, but seve the LORD

with all yu heat. An nt tun asie ate empty

things that cannt pt elive, they ae empty. F

the LORD will nt sake his peple, his geat names

sake (1 Sam. 12:20-22a)

S in the Exus the peple wee elivee an nt shwn wath because

G was jealus his name in Egypt. Hee the peple have cmmitte

teasn an impeache G an sai, We want anthe kin king. We

want t be like the natins. We nt like this thecacy business. We want


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A HOLY AMBITION

47

anthe king. Late they calle it sin, when Samuel peache t them an

then sai nt be aai. Samuel cul have sai Dnt be aai because

G is meciul, G is gacius, G keeps cvenant lve. He cul havesai all these things an they wul be tue, but what he sai was the L

will nt cast away his peple his geat names sake. Hw yu pay

in espnse t that?

HOW dO YOU PrAY?

I emembe back at Fulle Seminay, my wl was being blwn t smith-

eeens in the sping 1969, an then the next yea as well. I went thughCpenican evlutins because all the stas must cme cashing wn in

e t ebuil yu wl when yuve been man-centee all yu lie.

Nl an I ha just gtten maie in Decembe 1968 s she was walk-

ing thugh this with me. We ha this beige cuch in the living m

that little back huse n Oange Gve Buleva (we pai $85 a mnth

that whle huse). We knelt by that beige cuch an paye evey night

as a yung cuple an I emembe saying t Nl, Yu knw, yu can tellwhen smebys thelgy is being tune upsie wn by the way they

pay.Because we just wee paying ieently. exts like hallwe be thy

name wee just expling. Tat wasnt a thwaway phase anyme! Hal-

lwe be yu name was a equest t G t make himsel stng in the

wl an geat in u heats. S Im asking yu, How does your discovery o

God aect your praying?

Hees ne way:

F thy names sake, O L, pan my guilt, it is

geat. (Ps. 25:11)

D yu pay that way? Des that kin thinking cme t yu min? It

sue int cme t my min until I ha my eyes pen t texts, hunes

them, like that.We say this nw, just in the ws. We say, In Jesus name I pray,

amen. Because thats the name. On this sie the css, we knw the name.

Its Jesus. G has put his sn wa t exalt his wn ighteusness an

peseve his wn justice in the saving sinnes, s that when we call wn


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mecy, ttally uneseve, wh ae we ging t appeal tuselves?

Nthing wks except: For your names sake, O Lord.Make your name great

in orgiving my sins and using me, broken and imperect as I am.O hw abut:

He leas me in paths ighteusness his names sake.

(Ps. 23:3)

Why es he sanctiy yu? Hw yu pay sancticatin? Lord, lead

me in paths o righteousness or your names sake today. I want you to look greattoday.

BrOkeNNess BefOre JOY

Nl an I ha a cking chai that I bught he when we ha u st

baby in Gemany. I sat in that chai evey Sunay night. Tee wee n

Sunay evening events in Gemany, an I ea abut a yeamaybe nt

quitethe Religious Aectionsby Jnathan Ewas. w thee pages anightI nt knw hw many pages. I cul nt take much that bk.

It was abslutely cnvicting. I ecmmen it t eveyby. Peple ask me,

Whee shul we stat in eaing Jnathan Ewas? I say, Religious A-

ections,nt Freedom o the Will. Tats eally ha. But Religious Aections,

yu can hanle that intellectually. But yu wnt hanle it mally; it will

wipe yu ut.

Ezekiel 36 jumpe the page in the chapte n evangelical humilia-tin, which is actually the title.

Teee say t the huse Isael, Tus says the L

GOD: It is nt yu sake, O huse Isael, that I

am abut t act, but the sake my hly name, which

yu have pane amng the natins t which yu came.

An I will vinicate the hliness my geat name, whichhas been pane amng the natins, an which yu have

pane amng them. An the natins will knw that I

am the LORD, eclaes the L GOD, when thugh

yu I vinicate my hliness bee thei eyes.It is nt


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A HOLY AMBITION

49

yu sake that I will act, eclaes the L GOD; let that

be knwn t yu. Be ashame an cnune yu

ways, O huse Isael. (Ezek. 36:2232)

Te easn that blew me away in 1972 is because I was suune by

bks n sel-esteem. I wte eviews tw them Te Journal o

the Evangelical Teological Society. It was e-ht gspel cming ut the

wl int the chuch in thse ays, the gspel sel-esteem. An as I ea

this, I sai, Nne thse bks wul eve qute this text. Tey wul

neve, eve, eve say, It is nt yu sake I will act, says the L. Let thatbe knwn t yu. Be ashame an cnune yu sins, O huse

Isael.

Tee must be genuine, evastating bkenness bee leaping jy at

the css. Te css st says, It is because o you that I am here. Tats what

it says, meaning, Your sin is so horrible it requires the death o the Son o God

or God to be vindicated in the saving o your soul. It was a missing emtinal

piece, I think, twa cmpleting my lie.

JesUs gLOrIfYINg THe fATHer

We see the same thing in the New estament. Jesus sai:

I glie yu n eath, having accmplishe the wk

that yu gave me t .. (Jn. 17:4)

In accmplishing the wk that Jesus eceive m the Fathe, he was gl-

iying the Fathe. An in Jhn 7:18 Jesus sai:

Te ne wh speaks n his wn authity seeks his wn

gly; but the ne wh seeks the gly him wh sent

him is tue, an in him thee is n alseh.

G sent Jesus t get gly G. G sent Jesus t get gly G!

Tats why he sent him.


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Rmans 15:8-9 says:

F I tell yu that Chist became a sevant t the cicum-cise t shw Gs tuthulness, in e t cnm the

pmises given t the patiachs, an in e that the

Gentiles might gliy G his mecy.

Te easn G sent Jesus t the Gentiles was s that they wul gliy

G his mecy.

Tee ae tw thughts hee: gliy G, an bestw mecy. Hw they elate? I have talke with a lt seminay stuents ve the yeas that

have been chage with witing integatin papes thei seminay expe-

ience, meaning, Put it all together in a paper. Choose the integrating ultimate

reality and write a paper with your whole theology around that. An the ways

ivie in talking with peple, because they ten chse mecy. Mecy is

innitely glius, an I wulnt beguge anyby witing a pape that

integates the whle Bible aun mecy. But its nt the mst ultimatething. Yu can see it in the gamma: Tat the Gentiles might gloriy God

or his mercy. What es that little pepsitinormean thee? Gloriy God

or his mercy. Wulnt yu paaphase that, Gloriy God on thebasis o his

mercy?Tat is, the expeience mecy pmpts the gliying G

the mecy. An i thats the case, which I think it is, then its the gliying

G which is ultimate, an the eceiving mecy is penultimate.

But yu nt have t chse. I we ha t chse, thee wul be ngspel. G gets the gly, we get the mecy, an thats the best all ps-

sible wls. I wulnt want it any the way. Te natual min says, No,

I really cant be happy unless I get the glory, and I dont like a God who doesnt

need a little bit o mercy. Yu hea peple talk abut giving G. Ive gt

t watch my language when I hea things like that.

Rmans cntains the mst imptant paagaph in the bible, pbably.

Its angeus t say things like that, but i I ha t chse, it wul besmewhee in Rmans 8 smewhee in Rmans 3.

All have sinne an all sht the gly G.

(Rm. 3:23)


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Paul sets up the issue in tems gly, because back in Rmans 1 we ea

that we have all exchange the gly G images,especially the nein the mi. S Rmans 1:23:

an exchange the gly the immtal G im-

ages esembling mtal man an bis an animals an

ceeping things.

Yu get t Rmans 3:23, an it says: We have allen short; which is liteally,we lack. We lack because we have tae the gly G lesse things.

We have tune away m it an embace u avite gly. All have

sinned, an thats what sin is. Peeing anthe gly t Gs gly is what

sin is.All have sinned and all short o the glory o God.

HOW gOd JUsTIfIes sINNers

Nw hee is hw G justies sinnes: By his grace, as a git, through theredemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put orward as a expiation by

his blood ppitiatinbette by his blood, to be received by aith. Tis

was to show S hees the aim.

Tis was t shw Gs ighteusness, because in his ivine

beaance he ha passe ve me sins. It was t shw

his ighteusness at the pesent time, s that he might bejust an the justie the ne wh has aith in Jesus.

(Rm. 3:2526)

G saves yu thugh the hible pice the eath his sn, be-

cause in saving yu he passes ve yu sins an that has t be vini-

cate. I G passes ve sins in the Ol estament an in yu lie, i

he just passes them ve, what es it lk like? Sins belittle the gly G, making his gly little value. Hw then can G be ighteus

an give yu? An the answe is, he kille his sn t shw hw sei-

us sin is. He buise his sn in e t magniy the wth his gly.


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Which tuns the Chistian lie nw int the vese that my a qute

t me me than any the, I think:

S whethe yu eat ink, whateve yu , all t

the gly G. (1 C. 10:31)

Eveything in eemptive histy has been G acting his gly, thee-

e eveything in yu lie is t jin him in that pupse. Te easn yue

n the planet is t jin G in making much G. Evey human being

that yull eve meet, anywhee in the wl, in any cultue, accing tRmans 5, is isbeient an ebellius an nees t be justie by aith

alne. Teyve all stppe gliying G wh he eally is an we g t

call them back t gliy G.

WHY Is JesUs cOMINg BAck?

Hees anthe text m 1 Pete:

wheve speaks, as ne wh speaks acles G; wh-

eve seves, as ne wh seves by the stength that G

suppliesin e that in eveything G may be glie

thugh Jesus Chist. him belng gly an minin

eve an eve. Amen. (1 Pet. 4:11)

I pay this me than any the text, I suppse, as we meet wnstais be-e the sevices:

Why is Jesus cming back? Wee jumping all the way t the en nw,

the secn cming. One last text, 2 Tessalnians 1:9-10:

Tey will sue the punishment etenal estuctin,

away m the pesence the L an m the gly

his might, when he cmes n that ay t be glie in hissaints, an t be mavele at amng all wh have believe,

because u testimny t yu was believe.

Secn Tessalnians 1 gives us tw easns why the Sn G is


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A HOLY AMBITION

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etuning t eath: t be glie an t be mavele at. I neve thught

that the st 22 yeas my lie. Anyby aske me why Jesus is cm-

ing back, I say, Hes coming back to get me. Coming back to save me. Anthats tue. Its just skewe. I was ignant. My min was nt his min. My

thughts wee nt his thughts. Tey weent base n what Gs thughts

ae base n. Te Sn G is cming t be glie, an the easn that

is lve is because yu jy at that mment will cnsist in making much

him!

AdMIrINg THe MOsT AdMIrABLe

Ayn Ran, the atheistic philsphe nvelist, sai inAtlas Shrugged: A-

miatin is the aest pleasues. Nw in he muth, that was abslutely

scnul, meaning, Tere arent any admirable people in the world, except me

and a ew philosopher business types. But in my muth, that means I am

mae, unlike all the animals, t amie. An my eepest jy will cnsist

in amiing the mst amiable. An thee is nly ne wh is mst amia-

ble: Chist, the image G ully. An when he cmes, my ullest jy willcnsist in ullling the pupse which he came, namely t be amie.

S his gly an my jy cme tgethe.

Nw, i yu embace this, then when yu talk abut, yu wee

slain, an by yu bl yu ansme peple G m evey tibe an

language an peple an natin, an yu have mae them a kingm an

piests t u G, an they shall eign n the eath. (Revelatin 5:910),

yu knw why hes ing that, why Jesus came, why he bught peple mevey ethnic gup, why we sen ut missinaies. An the answe m

Rmans 1 is, For the sake o the name.

S all that, simply t lay a unatin hee at the beginning this

vlume, that i we want u heat the natins t est upn Gs heat

the natins, it shul est upn the basis Gs heat the natins,

namely, Gs heat his wn gly.


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A HOLY AMBITION

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cHAPTer fOUr

THOse WHO HAve fAITH Are THe sONs Of ABrAHAM

MArcH 20, 1983

JOHN PIPer

Tus Abaham believe G, an it was eckne t him

as ighteusness. S yu see that it is men aith wh ae

the sns Abaham. An the sciptue, eseeing thatG wul justiy the Gentiles by aith, peache the gs-

pel beehan t Abaham, saying, In yu shall all the

natins be blesse. S then, thse wh ae men aith

ae blesse with Abaham wh ha aith.

Galatians 3:69

cAN YOU Be A cHILd Of ABrAHAM?

he W G m this text us tay is that anyneJew Gentile, ich p, male emale, white black bwn, quick-witte slw, l yunganyne can be a chil Abaham an in-

heit the blessings pmise t Abahams chilen, i yu live by aith.

Te stuctue the text is simple. Te main pint is state in tw

ieent ways, nce in vese 7 an nce in vese 9. An each these ispecee by its Ol estament suppt. Vese 6 qutes Genesis 15:6, Aba-

ham believe G, an it was eckne t him as ighteusness. An

vese 7 aws ut that vese tgethe with vese 5 a geneal ineence: S

(: theee) yu see that it is thse aith wh ae sns Abaham. Te

thing that makes a pesn a sn Abaham is aith. Ten vese 8 qutes

Genesis 12:3 (an 18:18), In yu shall all the natins be blesse. An

vese 9 aws ut the ineence, S then, thse wh ae aith ae blessewith Abaham wh ha aith. Te thing that qualies a pesn t inheit

Abahams blessing is aith. S the main pintthe W G us

tay (expesse in veses 7 an 9)is that anyne us wh lives by aith

is a chil Abaham an will inheit Abahams blessing.


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I can think at least tw easns why mst men peple wul

simply shug thei shules at this annuncement. One easn is that they

have n iea what it means t be a chil Abaham an n sense thestupenus value the blessing pmise t Abahams chilen. An the

the easn is that they cant see hw a 20th centuy Ameican wh esnt

have a Jewish cell in his by can be calle a chil Abaham. In the

ws, i this pmise in Galatians 3:69 is ging t stengthen u aith

an incease u jy, we have t ig in an see what it means an hw it

is gune in the Ol estament. An thats my aim: the avancement

an jy yu aith (Philippians 1:25), because I knw that genuine aithwks itsel ut in lve (Gal. 5:6), an when peple see the sacicial lve

Gs peple, many ae gippe an give gly t him (Matt. 5:16). S

the sake u aith, u lve, an ultimately, Gs gly, lets see hw

Paul gets veses 7 an 9 ut the Ol estament, an what they mean

us tay.

NOT dePeNdeNT ON PHYsIcAL desceNTA geat eal in this passage hangs n what it means t be a chil Aba-

ham. S lets ty t answe that questin st. Te st thing that nees t

be sai is that Paul thinks snship es nt epen n physical escent. F

example, in Galatians 3:28, 29 he says,

Tee is neithe Jew n Geek, thee is neithe slave n

ee, thee is neithe male n emale; yu ae all nein Chist. An i yu ae Chists, then yu ae Abahams

sping, heis accing t the pmise.

S the st thing t be sai is that Jews an nn-Jews can be sping

chilen sns Abaham. Snship es nt epen n physical escent.

Rmans 9:6, 7 cnm this:

Nt all wh ae escene m Isael belng t Isael, an

nt all ae chilen Abaham just because they ae e-

scenants.


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But we nt even have t g beyn u text t see this. Aent veses 7

an 9 eeing t the same gup peple? Vese 7 says that thse

aith ae sns Abaham. An vese 9 says that thse aith ae blessewith Abaham. Suely, these ae the same peple: sns Abaham, wh

will, theee, enjy the blessings pmise t Abaham an his chilen.

But it is clea m the cnnectin between veses 8 an 9 that these peple

inclue Gentiles. Vese 8 qutes Genesis 12:3, In yu shall all the natins

(i.e., Gentiles) be blessent just Jews. An m that Paul ines vese 9:

S then, thse aith ae blesse. S the believes vese 9 must inclue

Gentiles, an since these ae the same as the believes in vese 7 wh aecalle sns Abaham, the sns Abaham must inclue Gentiles. Tats

the st thing abut being a sn Abaham: it does not depend on physical

descent rom Abraham.

I knw it suns stange t us, but it is vey clse t the heat the

gspel: white, Angl-Saxn ptestants can becme sns Abaham; His-

panics an Latians an Cambians can becme sns Abaham; black

Aican Muslims can becme sns Abaham; anti-semitic, eneck Nazivigilantes can becme sns Abaham; Hitle cul have becme a sn

Abaham.

WAs PAULs vIeW BIBLIcAL?

Bee we ask what that snship invlves an why it is g news, we nee

t ask whethe Pauls view Abahamic snship is the same as the Ol

estaments view. It is n g telling u Jewish iens that we ae sns Abaham i they can simply pint t the ah an shw us that Paul has

istte what Mses taught. un with me t Genesis 12:13. Hee is the

unatinal pmise the Jewish peple.

Nw the L sai t Abam, G m yu cunty an

yu kine an yu athes huse t the lan that I will

shw yu. An I will make yu a geat natin, an I willbless yu an make yu name geat, s that yu will be

a blessing. I will bless thse wh bless yu, an him wh

cuses yu I will cuse, an in yu shall all the amilies

the eath be blesse.


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When G chse Abam t un a new natin, he mae sue that Abam

knew that the Jewish peple wee being ceate th

john piper- a collection of sermons (new) very useful!!

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