Messages by Desiring God
Messages from the Teaching Team at Desiring God, a Christian ministry founded by John Piper. The podcast features sermons and teachings focused on the glory of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each episode aims to help listeners find joy in God through Scripture and sound doctrine.
Episodes
Anchor Your Soul in His Majesty
David Mathis | Christ is priest, king, warrior, and the fulfillment of hope-filled prophecy. Psalm 110 reveals four unique majesties of Jesus for the comfort of the church.
College Is for (Lasting) Pleasure
David Mathis | The world’s diversions at college may distract and entice. But when we pursue lasting pleasure in God, every semester counts for eternity.
When the Curse Comes Close
Marshall Segal | How do we respond when the curse encroaches on our lives? In Psalm 108, David guides us to groan, praise, ask, trust, and tread.
Take a Risk for Life and Fruitfulness
God often uses risks to bring life to others and to end long-standing fruitlessness in our lives. What would it look like to step out for the sake of Christ?
When God Became My Song
Marshall Segal | God’s presence makes heaven worth wanting. Because of his salvation, Christians not only rest in him and trust in him but sing to him.
Fear That Sings and Dances
David Mathis | The hostile army ignored God as long as they could, but when he looked down at them, they panicked. Then his people’s newfound fear of him erupted in song and dance.
Jesus: A Priest After the Order of Melchizedek
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Blessed Satisfaction: The Sin-Slaying, Soul-Staggering Glory of Christ
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
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
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.
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