John Piper: The Power of Divine Grandeur
In a series of messages entitled Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, John Piper reveals the powerful antidote to all of our lusts and worldly desires.
For those of you who cannot view the video, or who want to read more (do!), you will find an excerpt from his notes and a link to the rest below:
Sex and the Supremacy of Christ
by John Piper © DesiringGod.orgMy conviction is that one of the main reasons the world and the church are awash in lust and pornography (by men and women—30% of internet pornography is now viewed by women) is that our lives are intellectually and emotionally disconnected from infinite, soul-staggering grandeur for which we were made. Inside and outside the church western culture is drowning in a sea of triviality, pettiness, banality, and silliness.
It is inevitable that the human heart, which was made to be staggered with the supremacy of Christ, but instead is drowning in a sea of banal entertainment, will reach for the best natural buzz that life can give: sex.
Therefore, the deepest cure to our pitiful addictions is not any mental strategies—and I believe in them and have my own (see ANTHEM). The deepest cure is to be intellectually and emotionally staggered by the infinite, everlasting, unchanging supremacy of Christ in all things. This is what it means to know him. Christ has purchased this gift for us at the cost of his life.
March 12th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Glad to see you guys back to blogging. John Piper is has excellent teachings. Thanks for posting this.
March 12th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
That excert was good. I haven’t yet watched the video, but I will comment on that when I do watch it (I don’t have time right now). I’m glad to see you all are back to posting now. It seemed like it had been awhile.
March 12th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
That was beautiful! My brother and I watched it together and I just sat there say “amen” over and over again. It is so true! His last line, “you could say no” hit me so hard and I think I am going to use that as a signature for the next month.
What an awesome message that has to be spread.
We’re so happy to see the inspiration blog posts again guys! We missed you.
March 13th, 2007 at 8:41 am
I posted this video in the Armory awhile back. It was great watching it again! Being reminded that the satisfaction that is found in God, completely dominates what sexual immorality offers. Although, in the moment, this may not seem to be so. But the more and more that I fall into it, and the more Christ lifts me from it, the more and more God sinks it in to my mind, It is not worth it! Can these few pasting seconds of pleasure make up for the cost of God’s discipline! For the lost of Christ closeness! For the scars carred in to my future marrige! It is not worth It!
March 13th, 2007 at 11:56 am
This is an incredible message of the freedom we have in Christ. Praise God for his utmost supremacy and his perfect plan for each one of our lives!
March 13th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
I just watched the video, and it was really good. Thanks so much for posting this!
March 13th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
I really like the ANTHEM acronym for fighting lust
March 13th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
What a cool concept & a clear way of presenting it. Thanks for sharing this!!!
I’m going to go read some more…..
~Bess
March 19th, 2007 at 5:01 am
Without listening to the message (I’ll come back, I’m just strapped with a tight schedule) many live life without a purpose. Some think the antidote is to seek God until He gives you a vision that you can go out and implement. I think this is the wrong attitude. The last thing we need is another item that shifts our focus from Jesus…be it a ministry, life calling, etc. If you are following Jesus you’ll be where He wants you doing what He wants you to do. Problems come when we seek fulfillment outside of God’s best.
March 21st, 2007 at 12:47 am
Excellent teaching! I got a lot out of this sermon. Being an Aussie I had never heard of John Piper until now! How sad is that?? I think John should come and visit Australia soon. I would love to hear him.
Thanks guys.
July 24th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
[…] And…as if my filter issues weren’t enough, my computer crashed for the second time…I have tried running dell pc restore, and it doesn’t work, and I don’t have the boot disks (but I will get them in a few weeks), so, there isn’t really much I can do but wait.Needless to say, I am rather frustrated, and its a pain having to borrow my grandparents’ computer every time I want to check my email, or write a paper for school, or watch one of my lectures on DVD.However, I think this is all good for me in a sense, because by not being able to use my computer, I realize how dependent I am on it. It isn’t as though I’m one of those crazy people who checks their email once every five minutes or something, but just the fact that when I’m bored my first impulse is to turn on my computer, is a warning light. So, I am going to have to make sure that when I do get my computer working, I don’t spend all my waking hours playing Red Baron (lame, I know).I was reading a blog post the other day, and, although it was focused mainly on how to have sexual purity in our lives, I was struck by the applicability of the idea, to all areas of our life. The post is an excerpt from one of John Piper’s messages and, if I were to choose one quote to sum it up, it would be this: Therefore, the deepest cure to our pitiful addictions is not any mental strategies—and I believe in them and have my own (see ANTHEM). The deepest cure is to be intellectually and emotionally staggered by the infinite, everlasting, unchanging supremacy of Christ in all things. This is what it means to know him. Christ has purchased this gift for us at the cost of his life. […]
May 5th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I may be 40 years old, but I want to be like him when I grow up.
August 16th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Wow!! That convicted me. I think every man needs to be reminded that sexual lusts are momentary and never satisfying (if you really think about it). Chrsit is great, that’s why we have men like John Piper tell us that there is a more satisfying feeling then sexual nudges and that is God’s love.
December 6th, 2008 at 1:35 am
Wow!
That really touched me. I think what I will remember most is his last statement…”you could say no!” Very convicting…how true.