Messages by Desiring God

Jesus: A Priest After the Order of Melchizedek Jul 25, 2026 00:44:20 For the writer to the Hebrews, understanding Melchizedek means understanding Jesus. But how can an ancient king help us know the true King of glory?

Honor Jesus by Cherishing His Church Jul 18, 2026 00:34:55 David Mathis | Why is the writer of Hebrews so enthralled with an often weak and wavering church? He sees her calling, her splendor, and her majestic Savior.

Sing to the Lord, All the Earth Jul 11, 2026 00:38:50 Marshall Segal | Why do we gather to sing week after week, and why should we sing even more? God has saved his people, and all of creation joins in exulting in him.

What Stirs the Church to Sing? A Live Lab on Ephesians 1:1–6 Jul 8, 2026 00:42:18 When the church sets aside every boast and embraces God’s ancient plan of grace, she sings with all her heart for God’s glory alone.

The Strange and Wonderful Love of Christ Jul 4, 2026 00:33:00 Love moved Jesus to let Lazarus die. Why? Jesus wanted Lazarus, his family, and the watching crowd to taste his all-satisfying glory.

Enjoy Jesus Through His People: Fellowship as a Means of Grace Jun 27, 2026 00:40:35 David Mathis | What happens when believers meet together? Christians both give and receive grace from the God who gathers them in true fellowship.

‘Moses Wrote of Me’: The Messianic Hope of the Law Jun 20, 2026 00:42:47 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 Jun 13, 2026 00:46:42 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 Jun 6, 2026 00:36:38 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 Jun 3, 2026 00:19:32 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 May 30, 2026 00:40:10 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 May 23, 2026 00:31:13 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 May 16, 2026 00:48:53 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 May 9, 2026 00:51:28 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 May 2, 2026 00:41:24 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 Apr 25, 2026 00:44:48 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?

The Everyday Bride of Jesus: How Christology Shapes a Local Church Apr 18, 2026 00:36:27 David Mathis | The church depends on Jesus Christ for its existence, authority, and ultimate joy. But how does the God-man’s nature direct the church’s health?

Plead for the Insight You Need: Word + Spirit in Pastoral Study Apr 11, 2026 01:12:59 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 Apr 4, 2026 01:05:05 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 Mar 28, 2026 00:36:31 Jesus endured for the joy set before him. Moses obeyed, expecting the Messiah. The early church suffered for a better reward. This is faith.

Six Paths to Self-Forgetfulness Mar 21, 2026 00:20:55 Scott Hubbard | Self-awareness can be good, but it can also go too far. Our thoughts of self often grow quieter when we look to God and follow where he leads.

Why Would a Christian Exercise? Mar 14, 2026 00:27:20 David Mathis | Exercise may seem like a distraction from a life of serving others, but God can use our movement to deepen our joy and broaden our love.

Lead with Your Life: How to Influence in Your Twenties Mar 11, 2026 00:23:45 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.

Be an Iceberg Christian: Setting an Example in Your Youth Feb 28, 2026 00:22:03 David Mathis | Pursuing a holy ambition means seeking maturity in Christ more than we seek influence in the world. An enduring example takes hidden work.

Living in God’s Sovereign, Sustaining Grace Feb 21, 2026 00:40:33 When God ordains sufferings for the good of his people, he also sustains them and cares for them with all the strength of his love.

The Power of Hoping in God’s Meticulous Providence Feb 14, 2026 00:43:35 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 Feb 7, 2026 00:38:57 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 Jan 31, 2026 00:39:11 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 Jan 24, 2026 00:38:15 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? Jan 17, 2026 00:18:30 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 Jan 10, 2026 00:44:28 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.

Enjoying Jesus in Sexual Purity Jan 3, 2026 00:39:22 Marshall Segal | Where will we find true blessedness? Sexual sin tempts us to find it in fleeting, false pleasures — but God’s promises hold out a better, surer joy.

Word, Prayer, and People: Three Habits for Enjoying Jesus Dec 27, 2025 00:45:23 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 Dec 20, 2025 00:27:05 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? Dec 13, 2025 00:47:54 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 Dec 6, 2025 00:42:58 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 Nov 29, 2025 00:42:48 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?

Contrite Courage: How the Guilty Lean on Grace Nov 15, 2025 00:43:15 How do Christians respond to God’s fatherly indignation against our sin? The prophet Micah teaches us: Respond with brokenhearted boldness, with contrite courage.

Enjoy Him: The Call to Commune with Jesus Nov 8, 2025 01:05:09 David Mathis | God invites us to quench our thirst by hearing his voice, having his ear, and belonging to his body. So, come stand under the waterfall of his grace.

Our All-Nations Charge: What It Means to Be a World Christian Nov 1, 2025 00:42:53 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 Oct 25, 2025 00:48:32 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 Oct 18, 2025 00:47:39 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 Oct 11, 2025 00:51:31 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 Oct 4, 2025 01:09:25 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 Sep 27, 2025 00:46:58 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 Sep 20, 2025 00:36:25 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 Sep 13, 2025 00:47:14 In Jesus Christ, we find a Treasure more precious than everything we have in life and everything we lose in death.

Enjoying God: The Key to Christian Education Sep 6, 2025 00:45:37 How does the chief end of man — to glorify God by enjoying him forever — shape our approach to classical Christian education?

Lay Your Buckets Down: Finding Life with the Woman at the Well Aug 30, 2025 00:36:51 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 Aug 23, 2025 00:32:34 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 Aug 16, 2025 00:42:27 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 Aug 9, 2025 00:18:37 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?

Value the Human Body: Technology, Exercise, and the Pursuit of True Joy Aug 2, 2025 00:36:59 David Mathis | How might regular exercise serve not just our bodies but our souls, and so make us more ready to honor God by doing good to others?

Habits of Love: The Graces of Sharing Our Joy Jul 26, 2025 00:46:41 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 Jul 19, 2025 00:38:50 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 Jul 12, 2025 00:46:35 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 Jul 5, 2025 00:26:18 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 Jun 28, 2025 00:46:57 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 Jun 21, 2025 00:34:09 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 Jun 14, 2025 00:35:59 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 Jun 7, 2025 00:51:42 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? May 28, 2025 00:43:35 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 May 21, 2025 00:52:41 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 May 14, 2025 00:43:19 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 May 7, 2025 00:40:04 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 Apr 30, 2025 00:56:23 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 Apr 23, 2025 00:50:43 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 Apr 16, 2025 01:04:19 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 Apr 9, 2025 00:56:40 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 Apr 2, 2025 00:48:57 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 Mar 26, 2025 00:46:12 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.

Blessed Satisfaction: The Sin-Slaying, Soul-Staggering Glory of Christ Mar 19, 2025 00:50:32 We were made to see and savor, with everlasting satisfaction, the soul-staggering glory of Christ. Only then will our lusts lose their power.

The Glory of God for Doubting Minds and Dull Hearts Mar 15, 2025 00:55:58 When we see the glory of God in his word, we know for sure and we rejoice forever. Glory persuades and pleases, gives certainty and satisfaction.

What the World Needs from Your Church Mar 5, 2025 00:51:11 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.

Supernatural Pastors: How to Minister in God’s Strength Jan 25, 2025 00:49:51 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.

Sorrows Are Normal for Now: What to Expect on Your Journey Home Jan 15, 2025 00:52:57 David Mathis | In this fallen world, expect suffering and sorrows. But also know that, in Christ, they are limited, designed, and rewarded by a kind and gracious God.

How to Feed a Pastor: The Secret Life of a Happy Man Jan 11, 2025 00:57:41 David Mathis | As pastors, our first priority each day is not to serve God, help his people, or engage in other ministry, but to get our soul happy in God.

I Want You to Be a Christian Hedonist Jan 1, 2025 00:42:07 David Mathis | Do you want God to look good in your life? Then heed his invitation to find your deepest hunger, deepest thirst, and deepest longings satisfied in him.

Slavery and Christ’s Supreme Lordship: How to Live Under Human Authority Dec 18, 2024 00:37:13 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? Nov 27, 2024 00:55:29 Paul’s Christian life was one of countless dangers, continual sorrows, and constant joy. How is that kind of life possible?

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