Always Joyful, Prayerful, Thankful, and Good: 1 Thessalonians 5:12–22, Part 9
How can Christians always rejoice, give thanks, pray, and do good towards others? By resting in God’s goodness towards them in Christ.
Nov 22, 2022
Look at the Book
Look at the Book is John Piper's ongoing series of 8-12 minute videos to help you learn to read the Bible for yourself.
Episodes
How to Not Return Evil for Evil: 1 Thessalonians 5:12–22, Part 8
The strength to do good towards all, even our enemies, comes from an unshakeable hope in the reward God has promised.
Nov 19, 2022
How Can People with Short Fuses Become Patient? 1 Thessalonians 5:12–22, Part 7
Patience with others comes through trusting in the providence of God to turn every detour into a pathway to something better.
Nov 17, 2022
Are We Drained or Filled by Serving the Weak? 1 Thessalonians 5:12–22, Part 6
The call to serving others in the church — admonishing, encouraging, and helping them — is not a call to misery. It’s a call to joy.
Nov 15, 2022
God Makes People the Means of Persevering Faith: 1 Thessalonians 5:12–22, Part 5
We must never belittle or overlook the fact that God employs human means to strengthen his church.
Nov 12, 2022
Tough Love Toward Idle People: 1 Thessalonians 5:12–22, Part 4
Christian idleness is unloving to outsiders because it sets a bad example. It is unloving to insiders because it adds to their burdens.
Nov 10, 2022
Does Christian Love Esteem Some More Than Others? 1 Thessalonians 5:12–22, Part 3
Love looks on those who are doing the work of God with high esteem, and on those who are sinning with a longing to see them honor God.
Nov 08, 2022
Elders, Overseers, Bishops, Pastors, Deacons: 1 Thessalonians 5:12–22, Part 2
Because God loves the church, he has provided a leadership made up of elders and deacons.
Nov 05, 2022
A Vision for Leading and Being Led: 1 Thessalonians 5:12–22, Part 1
In a healthy church, the elders labor, exercise authority, and admonish the members, and the members respect and esteem the elders.
Nov 03, 2022
A Text for the Day the Doctor Says Cancer: 1 Thessalonians 5:6–11, Part 3
First Thessalonians 5:6–11 is a gravestone text. It reminds believers that wrath is not their destiny, but unending life with Christ.
Nov 01, 2022
Drunk People Make Bad Soldiers: 1 Thessalonians 5:6–11, Part 2
Drunk people make bad soldiers and sleepy people make poor watchmen. That is why we need to remain spiritually awake and sober.
Oct 29, 2022
Sons of the Day Stay Awake and Sober: 1 Thessalonians 5:6–11, Part 1
Power for Christian obedience lies in being reminded of our new identity in God. Who we are grounds what we ought to do.
Oct 27, 2022
The Sons of Light Will Survive the End: 1 Thessalonians 5:1–5, Part 3
What does it mean that saints are sons of light? It means that spiritual light shines in our loves, our wills, and our works.
Oct 25, 2022
What Is ‘the Day of the Lord’? 1 Thessalonians 5:1–5, Part 2
What is the day of the Lord? And how does this day relate to the arrival of the kingdom of God?
Oct 22, 2022
How Is the Day of the Lord Like a Thief? 1 Thessalonians 5:1–5, Part 1
What does Paul mean when he says that the last day “will come like a thief in the night”? And how do we remain ready?
Oct 20, 2022
Did Paul Expect to See the Second Coming? 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Part 4
Whether we will be alive when Christ returns is not for us to know. Rather, we ought to focus on living faithfully in the present age.
Oct 18, 2022
Will There Be a Rapture? 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Part 3
Does the Bible teach that believers still on earth will experience a rapture when Jesus returns?
Oct 15, 2022
When Will the Dead Be Raised? 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Part 2
The dead in Christ are not going to miss out on the spectacular return of Jesus to earth. All the saints will participate in this event together.
Oct 13, 2022
What to Say to the Grieving: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Part 1
The promise of the resurrection doesn’t minimize grief, but it does provide a ballast so Christians can grieve with hope.
Oct 11, 2022
Should Christians Be Quiet Toward Outsiders? 1 Thessalonians 4:9–12, Part 2
What does it mean to “live quietly?” What does a life characterized by this kind of quietness sound like?
Oct 08, 2022
Was Paul’s Letter Needed or Not? 1 Thessalonians 4:9–12, Part 1
When Christians love one another, they show that they are not just taught, but God-taught. Our love shows God is on the move.
Oct 06, 2022
Sexual Immorality Is Against God and Man: 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8, Part 5
Setting yourself against God’s command for sexual purity means you’re resisting his active, present working in your life.
Oct 04, 2022
The Sovereign Call to Sexual Purity: 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8, Part 4
The command to pursue sexual purity is empowered by the promise that God sanctifies everyone he saves.
Oct 01, 2022
Should Sexual Purity Be Motivated by God’s Vengeance? 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8, Part 3
God gives husbands and wives the promise of divine vengeance as a motive to maintain holiness and honor in marriage.
Sep 29, 2022
Five Reasons for Marital Faithfulness: 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8, Part 2
Treating your wife in holiness and honor demonstrates that you rightly value God, your wife, and your brother.
Sep 27, 2022
Take Your Wife in Holiness — Not a Brother’s: 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8, Part 1
Sexual purity is more a matter of knowing God than of following a prescribed list of dos and don’ts.
Sep 24, 2022
Apostle, Comforter, and Champion: 1 Thessalonians 4:1–2, Part 2
We all need comforters who commend us for our faithfulness and champions who challenge us to greater heights.
Sep 22, 2022
Can Christians Please God by Our Behavior? 1 Thessalonians 4:1–2, Part 1
Faith that rests in the righteous work of Christ produces a life of good fruit which pleases God.
Sep 20, 2022
Made Holy to Meet the Holy Ones: 1 Thessalonians 3:11–13, Part 5
How often do you dream about the return of Jesus? Does the hope of that day fuel your desire to be holy?
Sep 17, 2022
How Can We Be Found Blameless at the End? 1 Thessalonians 3:11–13, Part 4
Does the apostle Paul expect believers to be sinless in this life? What does it mean to be found blameless at the day of Christ?
Sep 15, 2022