Think Wink.

On John Piper’s radio broadcast, he has been preaching through Romans 5-6 for the last few weeks, since August and September.  He is in the middle of Romans 6 and I just listened to a sermon on Romans 6:12 and defeating sin.  After laying down a five-point theological basis for engaging sin (not the Five Points of Calvinism), he then said to say no.  Only after understanding a person’s standing in Christ and before God in the Bible can he or she be able to resist God.  Without the theological understanding, a person cannot defeat sin.  That was not what hit me though.

He then moved into saying no to sin.  A person must refuse to commit sin.  When the desires kreep up into a person’s mind, that person must say no.  However, Piper correctly points out that is nearly impossible to just say no and to perminantly defeat that desire.  Why?  Because you have not taken your mind off of that desire.  So Piper gives the flipside of saying no to sin: say yes to Jesus.  Say yes Lord I will do as you say.  Why?  Because a person must realize that the battle is over desires.  A person must have the theology so that they might truly desire to say yes to God.  They must see him as truly desirable and that revelation comes only when you have gotten into the word and studied who God is as revealed in the Holy Scriptures.  But also, it takes your mind off of the sin and puts it upon God.

So I must say to you Dr. John Piper, thank you.  Thank you for preaching through Romans.  Thank you for preaching that sermon.

Dear Jesus, thank you for chosing to use John Piper.  I know that next to you, he is nothing.  I know that you did not have to use him and so I thank you that you gave him the gift of preaching and the giftedness of being a theologian.  Thank you Jesus for putting him in my life for me to learn from and to grow in your Grace and in my faith in you.  Thank you Jesus for being the treasure of my soul and the delight of my life.  I praise you for speaking to me that night through your servant, John Piper.  Thank you Jesus.

If anyone ever thinks Piper is perfect…

Piper and the Minneapolis Bridge

The Innkeeper