Messages by Desiring God (Video)
Messages from the Teaching Team at Desiring God, featuring video sermons and teachings focused on Christian faith and theology.
Episodes
The Strange and Wonderful Love of Christ
John Piper | Love moved Jesus to let Lazarus die. Why? Jesus wanted Lazarus, his family, and the watching crowd to taste his all-satisfying glory.
‘Moses Wrote of Me’: The Messianic Hope of the Law
John Piper | Jesus claimed that Moses wrote about him long before he ever walked the earth as man. If that’s true, how could anyone miss Jesus in the words of Moses?
David’s God-Entranced Song: Know It, Feel It, Say It, Sing It
John Piper | When David wrote a song about becoming king, he ascribed all his victories to the God who gave them. How do we join David in such God-besotted praise?
Steep Your Soul with Christian Meditation
David Mathis | How is meditation different from simply reading the Bible? Slowing down and sinking deep into God’s word aids our joy and draws us closer to him.
Graduates, Remember the Rich Young Man: To the Class of 2026
John Piper | There once was a man who gave up everything important so he could cling to things that fade. If we want to follow Jesus, we cannot be like that man.
Reset Your Mind on Jesus: A Live Lab on Colossians 3:1–4
John Piper | Paul doesn’t just want Christians to know the truths of the Bible — he wants us to set our minds on them. But what does that mean, and how do we do it?
Get Your Heart Happy in God
Scott Hubbard | To his friends, George Müller embodied Psalm 23 even under the towering burdens of orphan ministry. What kind of communion with God made such peace possible?
Make War on Sin with Exercise
David Mathis | How can exercise equip us for the daily fight against sin? Training the body for our joy, mind, and will frees us to pursue every good work.
The Glory of God in His Glorious Church
John Piper | God fulfills his purpose for the church by his work in the church: He magnifies his grace by beautifying his people.
Hear His Voice in the Thunder
David Mathis | God’s voice thunders through the forests and the pages of Scripture, calling heaven to rejoice and setting his people at peace. Do you tremble at the force of his word?
Radiance, Power, and Purification: The Superiority of Jesus Christ
John Piper | Sharing God’s nature and upholding creation by his word, the heir of all things suffered in our place to purify us from sin. Who is like Jesus Christ?
Plead for the Insight You Need: Word + Spirit in Pastoral Study
John Piper | For the preaching pastor, each sermon demands a fresh hunt for insight in service of a hungry people. How do we find that life-giving truth?
Navigate the Impossible: Word + Spirit in Pastoral Wisdom
David Mathis | To lead the church faithfully, we need supernatural, sober-minded wisdom. God meets us in his word, by his Spirit, through prayer, with a team.
True Faith Tastes Future Joy
John Piper | Jesus endured for the joy set before him. Moses obeyed, expecting the Messiah. The early church suffered for a better reward. This is faith.
Lead with Your Life: How to Influence in Your Twenties
Marshall Segal | When the Bible talks about setting an example, does it mean only super-Christians? No, even the humblest high-school mentor can make the right mark.
The Power of Hoping in God’s Meticulous Providence
John Piper | Because God’s purposeful sovereignty reaches absolutely everywhere, his gospel can satisfy, his mission will succeed, and his people can never be lost.
This Body Must Be Raised: Four Reasons for Your Resurrection
John Piper | Jesus’s glorified body, his purpose for believers, his astonishing power, and the glory of the new creation all insist that the resurrection must happen.
Why You Do Not Believe
Marshall Segal | Jesus’s sheep are happy to be his, and Jesus will never leave them behind. But why would anyone reject this patient, kind, and powerful Savior?
The Supremacy of Christ Our Hope
John Piper | There has never been, nor will there ever be, a greater reality than the God we see when we look at Jesus Christ. His very supremacy is our deepest hope.
Is God Dishonored When We Grieve?
David Mathis | How can we sing in the valley of sorrow? In Christ, joy and grief can coexist — and grief now prepares for us far greater joy in the end.
Sing in the Fullness of the Spirit: A Live Lab on Ephesians 5:15–20
John Piper | What is the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and how does it relate to making music to God in a church gathering? God opens our eyes so we can sing to him.
Word, Prayer, and People: Three Habits for Enjoying Jesus
David Mathis | Where do we find more of God’s grace to increase our joy in Christ? God has created patterns for us to follow in reading, prayer, and fellowship.
What King Would Come Like This? The Surprising Advent of Jesus
David Mathis | When Jesus came to Bethlehem, and later to Jerusalem, he was not the king we expected. He was far, far better.
Is Joy in Jesus a Christian Obligation?
John Piper | Joy in Jesus is an invitation and a privilege. Is it also a duty? John Piper lays out six reasons joy in God is essential to the Christian life.
Saving Faith as the Awakening of Joy in Jesus
John Piper | When we believe in Jesus, we receive him as living water, bread of life, and all-satisfying treasure. Saving faith is the awakening of joy in Christ.
What to Do When Your Spirits Sink
John Piper | David walked with God through disasters, diseases, attacks, and his own sins. What pattern of life did he follow to depend on God through it all?
Our All-Nations Charge: What It Means to Be a World Christian
John Piper | Cowardice, consumption, and comfort often stand between us and God’s global work. What can set us free to be world Christians?
Our Pursuit: Joy Overflowing in Love
David Mathis | Does seeking joy in God ruin our love for others? Jesus meant what he said: Remembering God’s radical reward frees us to serve those in need.
Jesus’s Pursuit: His Father’s Glory (and His) Through Joy
David Mathis | As the Son of God, Jesus pursued his joy and God’s glory in an unrepeatable way — but as man, he stands forth as an example for our own pursuit of joy.
God’s Pursuit: His Glory in Our Joy
David Mathis | Christian, your joy in God shows the kind of God he is: awesome and glorious, happy and holy, beautiful and delightful beyond measure. So, come, eat, drink, and rejoice.
The Greatness of God in the Doctrines of Grace: TULIP Session 1
John Piper | What are the doctrines of grace? Before we wade into the depths of these doctrines, we need to know something of the greatness of God.
The People of His Majesty: Five Marks of a Marveling Church
David Mathis | Those who cherish God’s majesty become a certain kind of people: a commending, called, candid, conquering, and soon-to-be crowned church.
How to Pray When Trouble Comes
Marshall Segal | How do mature Christians pray when trouble comes? David teaches us from Psalm 86: “Meet my need.” “Glorify your name.” “Teach me your way.” “Gladden my heart.”
The Only Life Worth Living: A Live Lab on Christian Hedonism
John Piper | In Jesus Christ, we find a Treasure more precious than everything we have in life and everything we lose in death.
Lay Your Buckets Down: Finding Life with the Woman at the Well
Marshall Segal | No sin is too great, no place is too far, and no wall is too high to keep us from receiving the living water of Jesus — if only we’ll come to him.
Creation Sings Through Human Lips
Tony Reinke | No star or ocean, insect or tree, bird or cloud has a voice to speak God’s praise. But when we rejoice in God, we take creation’s worship and put it into words.
God’s Mission Triumphs Through Prayerful Suffering
John Piper | As Jesus bleeds in Gethsemane and then submits to arrest, we see that the mission of God triumphs through prayerful suffering, not the self-defending sword.
Will Christ Be Humiliated on the Last Day? To the Class of 2025
John Piper | When Jesus returns in glory, he will stand ashamed of those who were ashamed of him here. But what will it really mean for Jesus to be ashamed?
Habits of Love: The Graces of Sharing Our Joy
David Mathis | Our “habits of grace” prime us for witnessing, giving, and serving — and God uses even these outward expressions to give us even more grace.
FEAST: Five Prayers for Daily Bible Reading
Marshall Segal | When our Bible meditation feels more like a job than a joy, these five short prayers can take us beyond discipline into delight.
Why Did God Choose You? The Goal and Ground of His Election
John Piper | Why did God set his saving love on his people before the foundation of the world? So that we might praise the glory of his sovereign grace.
The Unusually Human Joy of Jesus
David Mathis | Did Jesus endure the cross for his joy or despite it? The answer takes us to the heart of Jesus’s unusually human joy, and ours.
Providence: The Purposeful Sovereignty of God
John Piper | It’s one thing to know God is sovereign; it’s another to know just how far his sovereignty extends and the purposes for which he wields it.
Do You Love Jesus? A Grand Finale of His Greatness
David Mathis | At the end of his Gospel, John gives us a grand finale of the mercy, wisdom, greatness, and never-ending glory of Jesus Christ.
How Doubting Thomas Finds Faith
John Piper | The story of Jesus and Thomas assures us that Jesus really rose bodily, that his patience surpasses our indwelling sin, and that we need not see to believe.
Be Still and Know: A Crisis-Ready Vision of God
David Mathis | Where do we turn when the ground beneath our feet seems to buckle and shift? Psalm 46 offers a vision of God to keep us through any crisis.
Where Does Radical Love Come From?
John Piper | How can we be set free from selfishness so that, at any earthly cost to ourselves, we will love other people in a way that makes Christ look great?
Authentic Preaching in the Age of AI
Tony Reinke | In the age of artificial intelligence, do we still need preachers? Answering that question well takes us to the heart of God-glorifying preaching.
Turning Sadness at Losing Money to Gladness at Gaining Jesus
John Piper | A camel cannot pass through the eye of a needle, nor can we turn our own hearts from loving money to loving Jesus. But what is impossible with man is possible with God.
Take Care How You Hear a Sermon
John Piper | There is a way to see truth without seeing it — to hear without hearing. For all who listen to sermons, the words of Jesus stand: Take care how you hear.
The Privilege of Preaching
John Piper | Though fraught with challenges and temptations to lose heart, preaching the word of God is a glorious privilege. John Piper gives ten reasons why.
The Power of Preaching
John Piper | God has chosen to bind the fullness of his supernatural effectiveness to the human ministry of the word. So, how might we preach in ways that release his power?
Big-God Preaching for God-Hungry People
David Mathis | Pastor, all your hearers are hungry for the living God, even if they don’t know it or can’t name it. And only big-God preaching will enduringly satisfy them.
The Glory of Big-God Preaching
John Piper | When preachers herald the glory of God from the heart, the pride of man dies, all of life becomes meaningful, and we rejoice like never before.
Foundations for the Future of Your Church
John Piper | A church endures in faithfulness only as its leaders and members rejoice in the glory of God, savor the word of God, and treasure the Son of God.
We Will Go Out with Joy: Christian Fellowship as a Means of Grace
David Mathis | Fellowship is not a nice addition to personal Christianity but a vital means of grace. Through fellowship, we help each other hold fast till heaven.
What the World Needs from Your Church
John Piper | Chipper churches leave no lasting impression on the world. The greatest gift we have to give is indomitable joy in Jesus in the midst of suffering and sorrow.
The Mighty Ministry of Song: How Praise Shapes the Saints
John Piper | When the people of God gladly sing of his riches together, the saints mature, Satan retreats, and the word of Christ goes forth.
Supernatural Pastors: How to Minister in God’s Strength
John Piper | Brothers, if we are going to do good — lasting good — to our churches, then we must preach and lead and counsel and serve in the strength that God supplies.
Slavery and Christ’s Supreme Lordship: How to Live Under Human Authority
John Piper | In a world of many authorities, we magnify the supreme lordship of Christ by the way we submit to the fading structures of this age.
Countless Dangers, Continual Joy: How Is That Possible?
John Piper | Paul’s Christian life was one of countless dangers, continual sorrows, and constant joy. How is that kind of life possible?
Restore Our Joy in You: A Prayer for God-Centered Revival
Marshall Segal | When our souls grow dull to spiritual reality, the character of God is our confidence. He has restored us before; he will revive us again.
Doctrine Fails Without Delight: The Mind as Servant of the Heart
John Piper | By God’s design, truth serves emotion. Thinking serves feeling. The lyrics of our best songs serve the Godward longings of our hearts.
Do You Look to the Reward?
David Mathis | What do soldiers, farmers, athletes, and Christians have in common? We endure, through discomfort, to get the reward.
Do You Delight in God?
David Mathis | God invites us not only to trust him, fear him, and obey him, but to enjoy him. For as we do, our happiness is full in him, and his glory is great in us.
God-Centered Children: Teaching Our Kids the Biggest Vision
John Piper | Faithful parents and teachers speak to kids on their level, but they also aim to create new concepts, new structures of thought, new ways of viewing reality.
The Beauty of Reformed Theology
John Piper | Reformed theology is beautiful because the God of sovereign grace is beautiful. The doctrines are windows — he is the glory.
Serious Joy: The Root of Sacrificial Love
John Piper | How can Christians be freed from selfishness so that, at any cost to ourselves, we love others in a way that makes Christ look great? Answer: joy.
Jars of Clay: Pastoral Grit for the Glory of Christ
John Piper | The apostle Paul was no stranger to ministry’s many strains. Yet for all his afflictions, he neither lost heart nor tampered with the truth. How?
No Neutrality: The Illusion of Indifference to Jesus
John Piper | No one can be neutral about Jesus Christ. Either he will have our heart and soul, our life and obedience — or hell will.
Truth Triumphs Through Providence
John Piper | When God makes a promise, he keeps it. And he keeps it through his purposeful, all-wise, absolute sovereignty — through his providence.
Zeal: To Live with All Your Might
John Piper | God’s will is not simply that we obey God’s will, but that we obey it in a certain way: with all of our might for all of our life.
Toward Need, Not Comfort: The Blood-Bought Path of the Good Samaritan
John Piper | You don’t have to be Christian to love the story of the Good Samaritan. But applauding Luke’s parable apart from his Gospel contradicts his purpose.
Truth Triumphs Through Pleasure
John Piper | When the Bible speaks of “truth,” it refers ultimately to God himself. Therefore, truth demands more than just our minds — truth will have our whole hearts, now and forever.
His Power, Your Body, Our Home: Three Marks of Christian Citizens
David Mathis | In this earthly life, Christians do more than wait for heaven. We belong to heaven, find our hope in heaven, and serve the King of heaven.
The Fullest, Longest Happiness: For Those Who Pass the Test
John Piper | God never tests his saints with ill intent. As the Father of lights, his every test aims at the full and lasting happiness of his children.
Work Out What Christ Has Won: The Christian Life as Gift and Duty
David Mathis | The everyday Christian life is both a gift and a duty. By God’s own indwelling power, we work out what Christ has won.
What Is It Like to ‘Know Christ’?
David Mathis | The Christian life has one final aim: to know and enjoy Jesus. He justified us to know him, we daily press on to know him more, and one day we will know him fully and forever.
How to Win a Fight: Heavenly Wisdom for Relational Conflict
Marshall Segal | What counsel does the book of James offer for our relationships? Submit to God, ask for wisdom, temper your words, calm your anger, and embrace godly community.
The Safest Soul in All the World: Rejoicing in the Risen Christ
David Mathis | The safest soul in all the universe is the one that rejoices in the risen Christ. God will never destroy those who delight in his Son.
