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Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 13

October 7, 2024

Kindle Deals for October 7

Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:

MY BOOKS:

These links are Amazon affiliate links.

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Published on October 07, 2024 05:31

Unrivaled Peace

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

This verse is amazing. Jesus offers his peace to his followers–the peace that can only be found in him. He reassures our souls that we don’t need to be troubled or afraid because we have this peace in him. But it is that middle sentence, so easy to overlook, that brings it all together.

Yes, Jesus has given us amazing peace and made a profound promise, but it is the way he gives it that truly bolsters us. He simply says, “not as the world gives.” So how does the world give? How does the world offer peace?

The world offers temporal peace, peace that passes away. Jesus offers eternal peace, peace that passes understanding.

The world offers unreliable and incomplete peace, peace that soothes to a degree but not to the depths of our souls. Jesus offers proven and perfect peace built on the foundation of his perfect sacrifice and resurrection. 

The world offers peace in circumstance, peace that changes with the winds. Jesus offers peace in himself, peace that will never pass away. 

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville , in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

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Published on October 07, 2024 03:36

September 30, 2024

Is God Really There?

John 14:8-9B – Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

Is God really there? That is an intellectual question we might ask. It is a heart-level fear we might have. It is simply difficult sometimes to have confidence in a God we can’t see. 

So Jesus’s words, Whoever has seen me has seen the Father, are profoundly comforting. Wrapped up in this little phrase is a universe of theological depth and eternal promise. But of course you’re probably thinking, “yeah, but I haven’t seen Jesus either.” But you have!

We see Jesus through the words of Scripture, all the words of Scripture. The Old Testament makes plain our need for him, points to him, and prophecies of him. The gospels tell his story as told by eyewitnesses and his closest friends. The epistles (letters) teach about him and his mighty work. And Revelation assures us of his final return and victory. We see Jesus in the pages of our Bibles.

And we see Him through the work of his Holy Spirit. Every Christian has the presence of Jesus in us through the indwelling of the Spirit. He teaches, guides, corrects, encourages, and sanctifies us. (sanctification means to be made holy, that is, to be made like Jesus!) We see Jesus as his Spirit works in those around us and we see them grow and change and reflect Christ. 

So is God really there? He is. We know so because we see his son in such clear and beautiful ways.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville , in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

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Published on September 30, 2024 03:01

September 27, 2024

3 Things I Like This Week – September 27

Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. CSB Spurgeon Study Bible

It would be more accurate to call this the “Spurgeon Devotional Bible” or the “Spurgeon Nuggets of Gold Bible,” and that’s not a criticism. It features thousands of excerpts from Spurgeon’s sermons, selected and edited by Alistair Begg, and they function more like a great sermon than a technical commentary. They open the text up for the reader and express the heart of it rather than explaining the minutiae. One of the coolest aspects of this Bible are the pages that feature the handwritten sermon manuscripts from Spurgeon (along with a transcription on the facing page). This is one of the few Bibles with a dude’s name on it that actually an unequivocally helps and encourages the reader consistently.

 

2. Mentos Chewing Gum

I drink a lot of coffee and I talk with a lot of people. And the former can make the latter an unkind experience if I am not careful. You never want to be the guy with bad breath, especially in a serious or sensitive conversation. Simply put, Mentos gum is the best gum. It tastes better, the texture is better, the flavor lasts longer, and it does the trick on funky coffee breath. (Even my dentist said it was a good gum to chew, so there’s that.)

 

3. Masters of the Air

While nothing will likely ever touch Band of Brothers in terms of storytelling and character connection/development, Masters of the Air is in that vein (and is significantly better than The Pacific). It tells the story of band of American Airmen in WW2 based out of England on their missions over Germany, the loss of brothers in arms, capture by the Nazis, and more. It has a touch of the Hollywood sheen to it, but also Airmen carried a reputation as cooler than everyone else, so it’s somewhat fitting. The acting is strong. The human element is real and deep, and the action is intense. It is a really well-done mini series for war movie buffs.

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Published on September 27, 2024 05:40

September 26, 2024

September 25, 2024

September 24, 2024

September 23, 2024

Come to the Father

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

When I read “no one comes to the Father except through me” my gut reaction is to think that Jesus is excluding people. He sounds like a bouncer at a bar telling people they have to get past him to get to the Father. For some reason, my sinful instinct is to think Jesus is playing keep away with salvation and eternal joy. How stupid of me.  

To hear Jesus this way is to miss the first sentence in this verse. He is the way, and the truth, and the life. He is the means of drawing near our heavenly Father, not the obstacle to it. Jesus  isn’t saying we must fight through him to get to God but rather that trying to get to God any other way will lead to death. He is pointing us to salvation and eternal joy, not excluding us from it. Instead of putting up a locked gate in front of God Jesus is putting up a neon billboard pointing to himself as the way to God.  

Christianity is an exclusive religion. There is only one way to get to God. But Christianity is an inviting religion because of the heart of Jesus. He doesn’t want to shut people out but to invite us into closeness to God through faith in Him.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville , in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

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Published on September 23, 2024 03:20